Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 410: The New Formation of Tianshi Mansion

In recent years, the Three Treasures of the Tianshi had once again gathered together—and were being continuously nurtured by Lei Jun.

Previously, when they were taken out of the mountain by Tang Xiaotang, they were also nourished by her daily care.

Now, Lei Jun had begun approaching things from a different angle. While continuing to nurture the Tianshi Seal, Tianshi Sword, and Tianshi Robe, he was also making a new round of adjustments and preparations.

At the summit of Biyou Immortal Mountain, within the Upper Qing Thunder Altar Grotto-Heaven, a phantom altar rose.

From the outside, the altar appeared pure white, nearly transparent, and was divided into three tiers.

The Three Treasures of the Tianshi each resided in one.

The Tianshi Seal lay at the base on the first level, anchoring itself directly atop Biyou Immortal Mountain like a foundation.

The Tianshi Robe floated in the middle on the second tier, radiating a faint golden glow as if it were alive, nearly forming a humanoid shape.

The Tianshi Sword sat at the topmost third tier, drawing Nine Heavens Divine Thunder directly from the skies above the Upper Qing Thunder Altar Grotto-Heaven.

In resonance, Nine Abyss True Flame flared from the mountain peak below.

Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Flame merged into one at this moment.

Lei Jun sat cross-legged in midair, mana flowing around him. Countless talismans manifested and streamed endlessly into the fusion of thunder and fire before him.

The Three Treasures of the Tianshi remained calm and serene, gradually reaching the balanced and perfected state Lei Jun had envisioned.

“The Dao gave birth to One. One gave birth to Two. Two gave birth to Three. Three gave birth to all things...”

Lei Jun nodded slightly. “Now, reversing the process, all things return to Three. The return of Three to Two is already set. What remains is the final Two to One.”

Having naturally cultivated insight, many things no longer held secrets from him—they came as naturally as flowing water.

After a period of deep contemplation and comparison, he had selected the best among several plans. The next steps depended on available materials.

“As for Dragon Scale Jade, the Mansion has only a small collection—it’s been hard to gather. I’ve instructed the Mansion to search for more over the past two years, but the results have been limited. I’ll need to see whether the Tang Imperial Family has a large reserve.”

Lei Jun reached out to the Tang Court, and the result was somewhat unexpected.

They did have the materials.

Dragon Scale Jade was rare and precious—and Lei Jun’s required quantity was exceptionally high—making it especially difficult to obtain.

Fortunately, the Imperial Treasury held enough reserves.

“Once sorted, it will be delivered to Mount Longhu. Please rest assured, Tianshi,” Zhang Hui said.

He had originally gone to enjoy life in the Ming Mortal Realm, but had recently returned to Tang territory.

As for why he returned in secret—

It was because Empress Zhang Wantong had secretly left Luoyang.

The figure still occasionally appearing in court in Luoyang was actually a manifestation of her Scholarly Aura Mystical Art.

Sometimes, it was even Zhang Hui covering for her.

Zhang Hui made no effort to hide this from Lei Jun: “My aunt is traveling. I’m not sure of her exact location now—but she’s no longer in the Tang Mortal Realm.”

Lei Jun asked no further questions. “This poor Daoist will keep it confidential.”

Having dispersed the Nation-Blessed Fortune, the Empress’s departure from Luoyang no longer caused widespread upheaval in the land, which in turn allowed her to move more discreetly.

Still, she had remained quietly in Luoyang for many years.

In contrast to Xu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiaotang, Zhang Wantong had always stayed in place.

That made her departure all the more unusual this time.

Could it be because of the early awakening of the Venerable of Supreme Wisdom from Sumeru? Lei Jun wondered silently.

He didn’t dig deeper. Instead, he calmed his mind and resumed his cultivation.

---

Netherworld, Yellow Springs.

The world was a field of grey and white, with faint ghostly blue light occasionally rippling through.

All was silent. The waters of the Wangchuan River flowed in stillness.

The surrounding landscape had mostly returned to its former appearance, no longer resembling the earth-shattering flood of the Nether River more than a decade ago.

Only one thing remained unchanged—the deathly still Fengdu City, standing atop a lone mountain.

Ji Yao, Sect Master of Inner Shushan, stood silently atop the city walls, gazing both within and beyond Fengdu.

Inside the city, both Inner Shushan disciples and Fengdu itself remained intact.

Outside the city, however, the remnants of Inner Shushan's operations within Yellow Springs had yet to recover.

“Sect Master Senior Brother,” called Elder Tian Lingfeng, stepping into view.

Ji Yao asked, “Any progress on the Heavenly Bird and Earth Beast Mirror?”

Tian Lingfeng nodded. “All thanks to you, Sect Master, for capturing a Ninth-Heaven Great Demon in the Mortal Realm of the Song Dynasty. With that, the Heavenly Bird and Earth Beast Mirror has reached completion.”

Any future gains would be welcome, of course.

“With the Five-Decays Dao Bell stabilized and the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner restored, and now the Mirror completed, our foothold in the Yellow Springs is finally becoming stable,” said Ji Yao.

Tian Lingfeng stood quietly by.

The Heavenly Bird and Earth Beast Mirror was his life-bound artifact.

As a Daoist Artifact Refining Cultivator, it wasn’t just a powerful weapon in battle—it also advanced Tian Lingfeng’s own cultivation.

But without Ji Yao and Inner Shushan’s support, he could never have succeeded in forging it.

Ji Yao’s own life-bound artifact, the Whitebone Divine Ark, had shattered and sunk into Wangchuan.

Even though Yellow Springs and Wangchuan had returned to calm, the Ark was gone forever—a peak-level treasure, utterly destroyed.

Ji Yao himself was wounded from the ordeal, only barely recovering in recent years.

The cost had drained many of Inner Shushan’s resources.

Although Ji Yao personally traveled to the Song Mortal Realm to seek opportunities and replenish lost life force, it was a difficult endeavor.

While the Mirror had achieved success and Tian Lingfeng’s cultivation improved, Inner Shushan was stretched thin.

Lu Changpeng, a fellow Ninth-Heaven cultivator, had yet to take the final step forward.

Other disciples struggled for resources in their daily refining and cultivation.

Centuries of effort—perhaps now wasted.

Their only hope lay in Ji Yao and Tian Lingfeng, both Ninth-Heaven Great Ascension cultivators, with Ji Yao even possessing a Scattered Immortal body at the Five Energies Converging to the Origin stage.

But to restore the former grandeur of the Cycle of Rebirth Five Treasures, they still had a long way to go.

“That Song Mortal Realm will remain chaotic for a while longer,” Ji Yao remarked. “Even if the Khan of the Golden Khanate rises again, his first enemies will still be the other barbarian clans—Azure Wolf and White Deer.”

Tian Lingfeng nodded.

Now that the Mirror was complete, it was his turn to venture into the Mortal Realm to seek opportunities and replenish the Yellow Springs.

Sect Master Ji Yao would remain behind to oversee the sect and begin preparations for a third life-bound artifact.

Had the Whitebone Ark not been destroyed, had everything gone smoothly, had the Five Treasures of Rebirth come together again—Ji Yao might have had a chance at an even higher realm.

Now, that path felt much farther away.

And time was running out.

Whether Tang Dynasty, or the many barbarian Khanates, powerful experts were on the rise.

Add to that the recent disturbances in Guixu and Sumeru—

Though Inner Shushan knew little of the details, even they sensed the shift. As spiritual energy surged across the Mortal Realms, many ancient beings dormant since the Heaven-Earth Catastrophe were beginning to stir.

In this sweeping tide, if Inner Shushan hoped to rise, they had to act now.

As the sect leader and foremost expert in Yellow Springs, Ji Yao had to step forward.

Even if that meant setting aside the ambitions of Lu Changpeng.

With Daoist Kang An and Li Linxue both fallen, the sect desperately needed new top-tier cultivators to emerge.

But resources were tight.

Fortunately, their luck wasn’t all bad...

Tian Lingfeng turned to look toward the interior of Fengdu City.

There, a towering tree stood, its sprawling canopy vibrant with spiritual energy.

It resembled a peach tree.

“With this sacred wood branch, Sect Master has finally secured the foundation for a new Treasure of the Rebirth Cycle,” Tian Lingfeng said with deep feeling.

“In the Tang Mortal Realm, a messenger from the Witch Sect recently reported that the Tianshi Mansion of Mount Longhu has produced yet another Ninth-Heaven Daoist Sage, a man named Yuan Mobai. Along with Xu Yuanzhen, Tang Xiaotang, and Lei Jun, that’s now four in total—a sect with four cultivators in the Great Ascension Realm.”

Tian Lingfeng said softly, “Even if some of them aren't currently on the mountain, their strength still can't be underestimated.”

If they were to attack the mountain, the Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar of Mount Longhu would make it far more difficult than launching an assault elsewhere.

“Even if we return to the Tang Realm, our target remains Xiaoding, unless we get an exceptionally good opportunity—Mount Longhu isn’t under consideration,” Ji Yao said calmly.

Tian Lingfeng nodded slightly.

There was no other reason—Chen Donglou didn’t reside permanently at Shushan’s Xiaoding. Other than him, there were no other Ninth-Heaven cultivators in Tang’s Shushan Sect.

While the Tianshi Mansion's altar was key to refining the Yellow Springs Divine Wood Branch, the Tang Shushan Sect possessed the Twin Swords of Purple and Green, the Qingxiao Hall, the Northern Abyss Divine Spear, and the Southern Bright Fire Cauldron.

If they could obtain a few or even all of these treasures, Shushan of the Yellow Springs would undoubtedly gain far more.

When others attack the Tang Shushan, these treasures can be formidable in defense. But when facing Ji Yao, sect leader of Shushan of the Yellow Springs and cultivator of Divine Spirit Qi, it would be a different matter entirely.

However, entering the Tang Mortal Realm was no easy feat.

The four Great Ascension cultivators of the Tianshi Mansion might not be there year-round, but the Tang Realm still had Empress Zhang Wantong.

A decade ago, she had lost face after the great demon of Luoyuan assaulted Chang’an, but ten years had passed.

If she had fully recovered from the battle with the Lone Eagle Khanate, and returned to her peak condition, she would still be the most formidable figure in the Tang Mortal Realm.

“There may be no opportunity now, but we must still prepare,” Ji Yao said.

Tian Lingfeng replied, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother Sect Leader—we’ve already amassed a considerable amount of Essence from Wangchuan.”

In prior skirmishes, Shushan of the Yellow Springs had already noticed changes in the Tang Shushan Sect.

They had been collaborating with the Tianshi Mansion and Pure Yang Palace to refine vast numbers of Pure Yang artifacts and treasures, causing serious difficulties for Shushan's disciples.

Not to mention Tang Xiaotang from the Tianshi Mansion.

Having suffered losses, they would not sit idly by.

While recuperating, Ji Yao, Tian Lingfeng, and other top cultivators were also pondering countermeasures.

Pure Yang Thunder and Fire did restrain the Yin Qi of the Yellow Springs and Netherworld, but this was still one of the Ten Grounds—the very essence of life and death.

When Yin Qi reached its peak, it was far from ordinary.

Under Ji Yao and Tian Lingfeng’s arrangements, during the recent ebbing of the Wangchuan Tide, Shushan of the Yellow Springs had refined and accumulated vast amounts of Wangchuan Essence, concentrated from the spiritual energy of the Wangchuan River.

Though not as diametrically opposed to Pure Yang as the Yin Moon Soul Stone, it worked in a similar way.

“As for that Chen Donglou’s Sword Control Technique, I’ve gained some insight as well.”

Ji Yao said, “His sword path is deeply linked to the Two-Element Magnetic Force. While I haven’t fully unraveled the details, he seems to have refined a vast amount of magnetic energy into his body, using it to empower his flying sword. That’s why his Divine Spirit Qi doesn’t anchor onto external artifacts.”

Tian Lingfeng asked, “Do you have a countermeasure, Senior Brother Sect Leader?”

Ji Yao replied, “I have some ideas, though they’re not fully developed. I need to study the Earth Pole Magnetic Force more closely.”

He withdrew his gaze from the Yellow Springs Divine Wood Branch. “Keep tracking developments in the Tang Realm, but for now, our focus should shift to the Song Mortal Realm.”

After a pause, Ji Yao added, “I won’t remain in Fengdu for long. I’ll be leaving the Yellow Springs soon to seek opportunities elsewhere. We must also finalize preparations for Junior Brother Lu’s cultivation.”

At that moment, Lu Changpeng appeared beside Tian Lingfeng.

The two responded in unison, “Yes, Senior Brother Sect Leader.”

One of the Nine Heavens – Penglai.

Unlike the Yellow Springs, which ranked among the Ten Grounds, Penglai, also governed by Daoist cultivators, resembled a heavenly paradise.

Zhuang Changfeng, a High Priest Elder of the Ming Shushan Sect, stood amid its serene vistas, feeling thoroughly refreshed.

However, for someone like him, perhaps it was more accurate to say former Elder of the Ming Shushan Sect.

Not that Zhuang Changfeng saw himself that way.

To most people, he now belonged to the Daoist Nation of the Ming Mortal Realm.

Yet in Zhuang Changfeng’s eyes, those who remained behind at Xiaoding in the Ming Realm were no longer worthy of calling themselves heirs of Shushan.

Calm and composed, he descended from the sky in front of a celestial grotto deep within Penglai.

“Uncle Zhuang,”

The grotto’s master had already sensed his arrival and greeted him first.

Zhuang Changfeng bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Emperor.”

Once the Sect Leader of the Ming Shushan Sect, now the Emperor of the Ming Daoist Nation, Han Qingtao was seated cross-legged inside the cave. After Zhuang entered, she said:

“I’ll be heading out shortly. Please help me tend the furnace fire while I’m away.”

Inside the grotto, a blazing Southern Bright Fire burned steadily in a cauldron before Han Qingtao.

Being refined in that fire was a wide, imposing sword—Han Qingtao’s third life-bound magical treasure: the Taiyi Severing Sword.

Its cutting edge was so fierce that it could stand alongside the Qiankun Sun-Moon Gourd and other legendary treasures of the Ming Shushan Sect.

“By your command, Your Majesty,” Zhuang Changfeng replied.

Beneath the real fire of the furnace, aside from the Taiyi Severing Sword, there were two empty spaces left behind.

Rather than a tripod formation, the three were arranged in vertical layers.

The Taiyi Severing Sword occupied one tier, while the other two layers had faint spatial ripples. They didn’t seem to be caused by fire, but rather by distortions in space-time itself.

These three-layered arrangements looked very much like a three-tiered altar.

“The Taiyi Innate Tower of the Tang Dynasty has revealed more clues lately,” Han Qingtao said. “As long as we recover the Void Traversing Shuttle, combined with the Severing Sword, we may be able to locate it.”

Zhuang Changfeng inhaled sharply.

The Void Traversing Shuttle was one of the most renowned treasures of the Ming Shushan Sect—a legendary artifact imbued with profound knowledge of spatial voids. Han Qingtao had already gleaned much from it when refining her Severing Sword.

In terms of offensive power, the shuttle was inferior to the flying sword-type Severing Sword, but its other capabilities were greater—it could carry multiple people across vast spatial distances.

Unfortunately, when the Shushan Sect split, Han Qingtao and Zhuang Changfeng’s faction—the Daoist Nation—had failed to take the Void Traversing Shuttle with them. It was still held by the Ming Imperial Court.

Only recently had they acquired fresh leads on the Taiyi Innate Tower.

If those clues had come sooner, Han Qingtao could have used both the Shuttle and the Sword to find the tower.

With all three top-tier spatial treasures reunited—plus the special talisman decree she had obtained in Penglai—they might accomplish something unprecedented:

Despite the barriers of the vast void, they could construct an array capable of drawing out a treasure from the Tianshi Mansion in the Tang Realm.

That talisman originated from an elder of the Tianshi Mansion’s Talismanic Sect, back when the mortal realm still had a path to ascension.

But for now, they had to first retrieve their own treasure—the Void Traversing Shuttle.

“The time is almost ripe. The shuttle will soon be ours.” Han Qingtao said calmly.

Zhuang Changfeng inhaled again.

They owed this, ironically, to the Ming Dynasty itself. If not for their failed campaign against Mount Sumeru, which ended in disaster, reclaiming the Void Traversing Shuttle would still be a distant dream.

Now, though, the opportunity was within reach.

Once they secured the shuttle, everything they had prepared could be set into motion—years of planning, realized in one stroke.

And if they also obtained the Tianshi Seal, the situation in Penglai would change drastically.

Han Qingtao glanced at her Taiyi Severing Sword for a moment, then nodded slightly to Zhuang Changfeng and left the grotto.

As Zhuang’s cultivation hadn’t reached the Ninth Heaven, he couldn’t perform treasure refinement as effortlessly as Han Qingtao.

He shed his human form directly, taking on a celestial soul state to nurture and refine the magical treasure within the furnace.

Tang Mortal Realm.

Inside the Tianshi Mansion of Mount Longhu.

Lei Jun was reviewing a series of intelligence reports from various regions.

Over in the Ming Mortal Realm, after their disastrous defeat at Mount Sumeru, the Wu Party had been supplanted by the Chu Party as the dominant faction at court.

But cleaning up the mess wasn’t easy.

Although the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Court appeared temporarily unified, undercurrents surged. Conflicts and rivalries remained the status quo, not the exception.

The loss of many high-ranking Confucian officials had severely weakened the court’s overall power. Debates raged over how to handle non-governmental factions.

Some advocated a more lenient stance, hoping to win over Daoist and Buddhist sects—arguing that this was a time for unity, to weather the storm together.

Others opposed this, saying leniency would only strengthen the likes of Zhenwu Monastery, Shushan Sect, and Bodhi Temple, all of whom had already grown stronger. To them, hardline tactics were essential in times of crisis.

They also pointed out that Venerable Wisdom of Sumeru had yet to make another appearance, and this moment of relative calm was the perfect time to purge internal threats.

Voices clashed endlessly—one side’s speech just ending as the other’s began, turning the court into a theater of ceaseless contention.

In contrast, the former Song Mortal Realm, now homeland of the nomadic Khanates, was far simpler.

When news first emerged from Sumeru about Venerable Wisdom’s movements, the Eastern Advance of the Blue Wolf and White Deer Khanates momentarily slowed, giving the Golden Khanate some breathing room.

But that didn’t last.

The other two Khanates soon resumed their offensive with even greater ferocity.

Meanwhile, the remaining Lotus Division disciples of Sumeru stationed in the Golden Khanate continued assisting in defense against the other two Khanates’ armies.

As for the rumored presence of the Karma Division Chief and Treasury Division Chief in that realm, they showed no signs of intervening.

Their focus seemed entirely fixed on the Ruins of Return and Master Zongjia of the Lotus Division.

Lei Jun paid little attention to those matters, devoting himself to cultivation.

Inside the Upper Qing Thunder Altar Grotto, the altar formed by the Three Tianshi Treasures had become completely integrated, steadily growing more stable.

Massive amounts of natural spiritual energy flowed continuously into the altar.

This energy was then cycled through Lei Jun’s own Two-Element Celestial Physique, before being infused into a special array diagram.

This diagram was an improved version of the previously used Inverse-End Great Two-Element Immortal Formation, modified to match Lei Jun’s unique physique and in harmony with the transformations of the Three Tianshi Treasures.

Through the fusion of yin and yang, and the interweaving of energy streams, the array began to compress and shift, gradually forming a new object:

—a small, three-tiered altar, no more than three feet high.

Unlike the pure white altar formed by the Three Tianshi Treasures, this new altar was entirely pitch-black.

Its structure was identical: circular on top, square on the bottom, and octagonal in the middle.

Both the large and small altars were nearly indistinguishable in form from the Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar of the Tianshi Mansion.

“All things return to three. The Three Tianshi Treasures mark the beginning. Under your direction as sect leader, they return from three to two. Then through the array, they become one,” said Yuan Mobai, observing from nearby.

“Another marvelous formation indeed.”

Lei Jun responded, “To fully activate the array, the diagram can’t stand on its own. It needs a vast quantity of rare materials to form this miniature altar.”

“If we were at the mountain gate, it wouldn’t be a problem. We could just integrate it into the Ten Thousand Methods Sect Altar for maximum effect.”

Yuan Mobai smiled. “Still, you’ll have to be the one to control it in person.”

Lei Jun replied, “This is only the initial form. It’s still lacking in many aspects. I’ll keep refining it.”

Yuan Mobai said, “The materials you needed to construct the altar—whatever we had in the mansion has been gathered. Those still missing, we’ve requisitioned from other branches.”

“But three items are still unaccounted for—extremely rare, with no leads so far.”

Lei Jun nodded. “Zipan Jadewood, Phoenix Plume Stone, and Black Pine Rock.”

Yuan Mobai added, “Senior Daoist Sun had some Black Pine Rock, but probably not enough. He promised to keep looking.”

Lei Jun replied, “He’s already done more than enough.”

As for the Zipan Jadewood and Phoenix Plume Stone, Lei Jun already had potential sources—his companions in the Heavenly Book World.