Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 406: Endless Disasters

This Mystic Nether Water Marrow aligns perfectly with the overall Daoist principles and ambiance of the Guixu—isolated and unmoving, where all things fall into silence.

Within it, one may find the birth of a power of final annihilation. It doesn’t appear intense, but it causes all things to vanish without a sound or a trace—like the true end of all existence.

According to ancient tales, the Guixu is the great abyss where all the waters of the world converge. It's also seen as a symbolic end of all things.

In fact, its essence somewhat echoes Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen’s mystical abilities and Daoist arts.

But Xu Yuanzhen herself has never shown much interest in the Guixu.

Back when a Guixu portal opened over in the Ming Mortal Realm, she only took a quick look and didn’t explore it further.

Rather than the environment or atmosphere of the Guixu, what piqued her interest more was whether there were any unique species of Great Demons inside.

“I can’t use Mystic Nether Water Marrow, so you all just decide what to do with it,”

responded Xu Yuanzhen after being contacted by Lei Jun. “But from what you said about the new developments in the Guixu, I have to admit—I misjudged it.”

Though she said that, there wasn’t a trace of regret in her tone. On the contrary, she sounded intrigued.

As always, the rare few things or people that could surprise her only made her more curious.

“I really should’ve taken a trip into the Guixu,” said Xu Yuanzhen.

Lei Jun replied, “At the time, the other side was likely still dormant or restricted somehow. Now that spiritual energy is surging across all realms, the connection with the Guixu has become clearer. Time and space have been disturbed, and only recently has it begun to 'awaken.' The changes brought about by the exotic Khanate’s emergence in the mortal world resemble a creature feeding after a long slumber.”

And then... things got interrupted by Zongjia, the Master of the Sumeru Lotus Division.

“Though I’d love to go take a look, I’ve got business in the Han Dynasty Mortal Realm, so it’ll have to wait,” Xu Yuanzhen said casually.

“Oh? What kind of business?” Lei Jun asked, curious.

Even after Mount Longhu went into seclusion, Xu Yuanzhen remained in the Han Realm.

“I’ve found some clues related to Kunlun,” she said, clearly interested.

Though the changes in the Guixu intrigued her, she wasn’t planning to leave the Han Realm for now.

After finishing his conversation with Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun prepared to leave the Exotic Khanate’s Mortal Realm.

Tang Xiaotang, on the other hand, intended to stay.

For one, she was at the peak of her curiosity regarding her alias as Elder Zheng of Pure Yang Palace.

For another, she planned to continue her search for Li Yuanheng.

“Leave one of the six lotus seeds for me,”

Tang Xiaotang said. She wasn’t interested in the Mystic Nether Water Marrow, but the Six-Yang White Lotus caught her eye. “That thing is great for cultivation in the Pure Yang lineage.”

Even after forming her Primordial Dao Body, her foundation was still Pure Yang.

And right now, she was impersonating an Elder from Pure Yang Palace’s Daoist Alchemical Sect.

Having a lotus seed from the Six-Yang White Lotus would help her convincingly forge a great elixir, posing as a top-tier expert of that lineage.

To actual disciples of Pure Yang Palace, this item was even more precious.

So Lei Jun left one seed for Senior Sister Tang Xiaotang, then took the remaining ones and returned to the Tang Mortal Realm.

The Golden Khanate had already lost elite experts like Saleheng, and now Zongjia, their envoy meant to fix things, had fallen into the Guixu’s trap on the other side.

Even though the portal to the Guixu was sealed again, the mess in the Former Song territories only deepened.

This also made their pressure in the northwest, against the Azure Wolf and White Deer Khanates, spike drastically.

Though the Golden Khanate had returned to the world, their first challenge would likely come from their own kind—rival exotic masters in the northwest.

So Tang Xiaotang could freely continue hunting for Li Yuanheng.

Meanwhile, the Tang Realm was enjoying a rare moment of peace and recovery.

Minor conflicts remained in the Land of the Deep Sea, but even that was entering its final phase.

As expected, after the chaos stirred by Li Yuanheng, Li Zhongding, and Li Bin began to calm, the remaining Jiuli clanspeople started to cautiously work with mortal cultivators—but distrust, resistance, and even hostility still lingered deep down.

Concepts formed over countless years wouldn’t change overnight.

Lei Jun no longer interfered, leaving it to Li Tianqing, Xing Feng, and Shen Qubing to sort it out.

The Land of the Deep Sea wasn’t suited for ordinary mortals to live and thrive in like Datong or Guizang.

As for Guizang, the Ming Dynasty’s attempt to open a void gateway there had been fully abandoned.

Zhang Hui, who was currently in Guizang, was instead thinking of visiting the Ming Mortal Realm.

Though State Preceptor Tang was still away, Tianshi Lei had already returned to the Tang Realm.

“We still need to stay vigilant. If a powerful cultivator is lying in wait on the other side, we’d be welcoming thieves with open doors,” said Meng Shaojie.

“True,” Zhang Hui nodded. “Still, we might try reaching out to Mister Xiao for information about the Ming Mortal Realm before making a final decision.”

He swept his brush across the air, writing a letter that seemed to etch itself into the void, suspended in a hazy light veil that wrapped around the ink and faded into nothingness.

Meng Shaojie: “Brother Jingting, after you.”

Zhang Hui lifted his brush and drew in the air, as though the air itself were canvas, sketching out the shape of a "portal."

At first, the portal remained illusory. But as light shimmered across it, it seemed to step out of a painting and into the real world.

Meng Shaojie, watching from the side, nodded repeatedly in approval.

Normally, even a Ninth Heaven cultivator would struggle to casually open a void gateway between realms. But what they were seeing now was Zhang Hui's personal ability.

More accurately, it was Zhang Hui using his scholarly aura and painting to recreate a void portal he had seen in the past—one that had truly existed.

These kinds of works were limited—each one drawn was one less that remained. Rebuilding such foundations was no easy task.

Still, as long as no peak-level cultivator was obstructing him, he could lightly and effortlessly reopen the portal from Guizang to the Ming Mortal Realm.

Meng Shaojie, who specialized in historiography, might be able to master similar techniques if his cultivation increased, but in this field, he was less efficient than Zhang Hui, whose talents lay in brush and ink.

Zhang Hui’s brushwork stirred a misty cloud into being.

Once he and Meng Shaojie stepped into the portal, it didn’t close behind them. Instead, it became shrouded in thick mist, hiding it amid Guizang’s cloudy skies.

Given that the situation in the Ming Mortal Realm remained unstable, the two kept a low profile.

On the other side of the portal, the two emerged amid lush green hills and clear waters.

There, two others were already waiting for them—one a scholar in green, the other a Daoist in purple robes.

They were Xiao Chunhui and Chu Kun.

“Mister Xiao, Elder Chu,” Zhang Hui and Meng Shaojie stepped forward and greeted them.

Xiao Chunhui glanced around and smiled, “Let’s catch up later.”

Zhang Hui nodded slightly.

He could already sense cultivators from the Ming Dynasty stationed far away, watching over this mountain region.

While top experts like Mu Chunyang and Liu Chong had withdrawn, the Ming still left people behind to monitor the area.

These watchers, however, were far weaker than those previous elite cultivators.

With Xiao Chunhui and Chu Kun assisting from the inside, the terrain was now enshrouded in a strange and elegant energy current that veiled the region from distant spiritual senses.

The style felt like something out of Confucian cultivation. Was this Xiao's handiwork? Meng Shaojie wondered.

Chu Kun also noticed that Xiao Chunhui’s cultivation was now markedly different from when he had last seen him in the Tang Realm. Had his identity not already been confirmed, Chu Kun might have doubted whether this truly was Xiao's work.

However, Xiao could only maintain the effect temporarily.

Zhang Hui raised his brush again, and as ink flowed through the air, the portal to Guizang seemed to vanish completely. The landscape returned to its original, unremarkable form.

Without peak-level skill, it would be impossible to detect.

Even if someone did see through it, Xiao Xueting was now in Guizang, so there was no risk of exposure.

The group departed the area.

Far off, the Ming cultivators keeping watch saw nothing unusual—the mountain looked exactly as it had before.

“Congratulations, Mister Xiao, on breaking through to the Eighth Heaven Realm,” Meng Shaojie offered his congratulations when they reached a quieter place.

Zhang Hui, meanwhile, asked with curiosity, “Sir, the path you’re cultivating now—it seems different from the Xiao Clan’s traditional Confucian studies, doesn’t it?”

Xiao Chunhui laughed, “I’ve only scratched the surface. It’s still very rough. We’ll compare notes later.”

Zhang Hui and Meng Shaojie exchanged glances.

“Judging by what you said, it sounds like we have plenty of time. So… the Ming Dynasty’s next move is...?”

“It’s more or less certain—they’re going after the northern tribes and the Sumeru Karmic Division,” Xiao Chunhui replied.

“The emperor wants to strike north,” Zhang Hui said, “and the Wu Faction plans to use this to suppress the Qin Faction?”

On the Ming court, the Qin Faction was closely tied to the Three Qin and the Nine Border Regions, deeply entangled with foreign tribes. These regions saw frequent clashes—and covert exchanges.

But lately, the northern tribes had started forming alliances with Sumeru Buddhism, launching fiercer invasions of the Ming’s northwest.

Now, with the emperor’s approval and popular support, the Wu Faction’s blade was coming down hard on the northwest.

Already dominant, the Wu Faction was now on a power trip. The Qin Faction could hardly resist.

“With this information spreading so widely,” Meng Shaojie asked thoughtfully, “could the Ming court be trying to feint east and strike west?”

“Perhaps,” Xiao Chunhui said. “The court’s full of competing voices. The fact that Grand Chancellor Chen can get everyone to work together without tripping over one another is already impressive. Expecting complete silence and obedience would be too much. Still, it’s best we keep watching for a while longer.”

Ming Capital.

At the residence of Chen Yu, leader of the Wu Faction and Grand Chancellor of the Cabinet.

“Master,” said Chao Feng, bowing respectfully to the elder seated at the head.

The old man smiled at his most accomplished pupil. “No need for formality. Sit.”

Chao Feng remained meticulous and proper, following every ritual.

He was the youngest Grand Scholar in the current Ming Cabinet. Though junior in rank, being in the Cabinet at all placed him in an entirely different league.

In the Ming Dynasty, only by reaching this level did one gain a real shot at achieving the Perfection Stage of the Ninth Heaven.

Chao Feng knew he still had a long wait ahead—but now, the opportunity was in his grasp.

Or rather, partially in his grasp.

His current position owed as much to imperial favor as it did to his mentor’s guidance. One without the other would never have sufficed.

Chen Yu, watching his student, smiled with satisfaction.

Chao Feng's appointment meant that three out of five Cabinet members now belonged to the Wu Faction.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that Chao Feng lacked qualifications—he simply had no overwhelming edge. There had been many contenders.

But with the emperor’s support and Chen Yu’s backing, he ultimately rose above the rest.

The appointment perfectly aligned with the new emperor’s wishes.

Using military force against the northern tribes and the Western Sumeru Buddhists also matched those wishes.

And with the Wu Faction’s strength in court, Chen Yu—an old political hand—finally had a real chance to make sweeping reforms.

Suppressing or even dismantling the Qin Faction was essential.

Handling the barbarian threats in the northwest and rooting out the heretical sects of the Western Sumeru Buddhists was equally necessary.

Only by defending the Ming realm and achieving great merit could one etch their name into history—becoming a celebrated statesman, honored for generations.

Still, he had given the emperor a bit too much ground this time. Especially by allowing some unsavory eunuchs to resurface and regain power.

This could become a serious liability, and would need to be corrected later to restore balance.

Chen Yu spoke to Chao Feng in earnest.

“Please don’t worry, Master,” Chao Feng assured him. “I’ll keep reminding His Majesty not to indulge the eunuchs too freely.”

“Good,” Chen Yu nodded.

Seeing hesitation on Chao Feng’s face, he spoke calmly:

“Feng’er, if you have something to say, speak freely. Between master and student, what can’t be said?”

“There’s a lot of talk about the northwest campaign, both in and out of court,” Chao Feng said. “That side must already be preparing for war.”

Chen Yu first nodded, then shook his head slightly.

“You’re not wrong. But in warfare, orthodox strikes break formations, while unorthodox strikes win battles. With momentum on our side, we don’t need trickery to prevail.”

After a pause, he continued:

“We’ve just received classified intelligence. A Sumeru master who had achieved the Vajra Body has fallen within the Guixu.”

“A Vajra Body? That means a monk at the Perfection Stage of the Ninth Heaven, from the Hand Seal Lineage of Sumeru Buddhism?” Chao Feng was stunned. “I thought the Karmic Division’s leader had gone to the northern grasslands…”

Then a realization hit him.

“It wasn’t the Karmic Division, but… one of the other four Divisions of the Sumeru Vajra Realm?”

“Correct,” Chen Yu nodded. “The monk’s Vajra Body manifested in crimson light. According to the Buddhist texts of Sumeru, that points to the Lotus Division.”

Chao Feng drew in a deep breath and steadied his mind.

“One pillar of the Sumeru Vajra Realm has collapsed.”

“Not just one,” Chen Yu said. “Earlier reports from Tianli mentioned that even in the False Tang Realm, the Karmic Division suffered a major blow. And it hasn’t even been ten years—not enough time for them to recover.”

“That explains your urgency lately, Master,” Chao Feng said. “You’d already seen the bigger picture and were acting accordingly. I still have much to learn.”

“To be honest,” Chen Yu sighed, “this has been in the works for a long time.”

Chao Feng knew that his teacher and the Wu Faction had been planning this for years.

Alongside their efforts to divide the Qin Faction, they had also reached out to the Chu Faction.

Opportunity favors the prepared. And now, the opportunity had arrived.

“I might have pushed things too hard with Mu Chunyang, though,” Chao Feng admitted.

The Chu Faction had long been closely tied to the True Martial Monastery, the foremost Daoist Holy Land in the Ming Realm.

“No,” Chen Yu replied. “You struck just the right balance—firm but not overbearing.”

“And what about Abbot Guangshu?”

“Both the Bodhi Monastery and True Martial Monastery will be sending large numbers of disciples to join the northern campaign. Master Mu and Abbot Guangshu will personally take part in the war.”

He looked at his student.

“Until then, keep everything else stable.”

“Understood, Master.”

Tang Mortal Realm.

Tianshi Mansion, Mount Longhu.

Inside Lei Jun’s eyes, the symbols of the Celestial Ground-Through Talisman spun as he conversed with Chu Kun, who held a Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Talisman in the Ming Realm.

“If the Ming Dynasty is truly going to war with the northern tribes and the Sumeru Karmic Division, let them go ahead. Let them work hard.”

The incident with Zongjia, Master of the Sumeru Lotus Division, falling into the Guixu, had set off a chain reaction.

To many, this was a disaster waiting to unfold. That master had really dropped the ball… Lei Jun thought calmly.

Chu Kun had no interest in interfering either.

“Master Brother, there’s something else. Around the void portal between Guizang and the Ming Realm, a number of people have been loitering—not to guard it, but seemingly trying to sneak past the Ming court's watch and slip into Guizang.”

“Can you identify them?” Lei Jun asked.

“They seem to be from the Artifact Refining Sect of the Daoist tradition. Judging by their cultivation, they’re likely from the Shushan Sect of the Ming Realm.”

Lei Jun fell into thought.

The Shushan Sect in the Ming Realm was in deep trouble.

Its former leader, Han Qingtao, and others had been confirmed as key members of the Daoist State in the Ming Realm.

It was only thanks to the usual political infighting in the Ming court that the entire sect hadn’t been condemned as a rebel faction.

Even so, the Shushan Sect’s situation was grim.

According to Chu Kun, some of their Mountain-Guarding Treasures had been taken by Han Qingtao, but a few still remained.

One in particular, the Sun-Moon Gourd of Qiankun, was one of the Six Founding Treasures of Shushan—a key to their rise.

Now, though, even those treasures had been fully confiscated by the Ming court.

As some had mockingly said: anyone still clinging to Mount Xiaoding, rather than defecting to Han Qingtao, must be incredibly committed…

But staying didn’t mean they were resigned.

Now some of them appeared to be trying to “smuggle” themselves into Guizang—which certainly raised eyebrows.

Was this a rogue action? Or part of a coordinated plan?

“Senior Brother...” Chu Kun hesitated. “Could some within the Ming Shushan Sect be thinking of offering up Guizang to the Ming court to prove their loyalty?”

“Even if they don't change their path or sect,” he continued, “the rigid structure of Neo-Confucian Orthodoxy has a subtle influence over all. Loyalty to the emperor is often placed first…”

Lei Jun remained composed.

“Leave it to our fellow Shushan cultivators here in the Tang Realm to handle. We don’t need to intervene.”