Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 452: Premonition of Human Confluence

After the unification of the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu did not strictly oppose all Daoist traditions passed down from the ancient talisman schools.

But on the flip side, it never offered them support either.

Even so, the current Celestial Master, Lei Jun, still gave the Shushan Sect of Southern Jin a chance.

When Shen Xi returned the Jade Ruyi to the human realm of the Two Jin Dynasties and delivered it to his master Gongsun Daoqi, Gongsun Daoqi’s condition immediately stabilized.

The only downside was that the spiritual power of the Jade Ruyi might one day be depleted.

Fortunately, Gongsun Daoqi used it differently from how Mu Weizi and Jiang Nan had previously—allowing for a much longer duration of use.

Before that day arrived, Shen Xi and his master still had time to seek out and try other methods.

But for now, he would first help the Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu search for the Yuqing Miluo Grotto-Heaven.

Just like Lei Jun had done before, Shen Xi scoured nearly the entire human realm of the Two Jin Dynasties but still found no concrete leads.

This led him to suspect whether the Yuqing Miluo Grotto-Heaven even remained within the Two Jin human realm at all.

While pondering this, Shen Xi suddenly sensed a shift in the spiritual energy of this realm.

At first, he thought it was a localized fluctuation—perhaps caused by a high-level cultivator—which made him extra cautious.

But after a careful search, Shen Xi found no trace of such a figure nearby.

On the contrary, the fluctuation in spiritual energy was becoming more and more apparent.

On the whole, though, the change was extremely subtle.

Not just ordinary people—even many mid- to high-level cultivators couldn’t detect it.

But Shen Xi, a cultivator at the fourth level of the Ninth Heaven, especially sharp in spirit perception due to his expertise in Daoist artifact crafting, gradually confirmed that the shift in spiritual energy wasn’t isolated—it originated from the entire human realm of the Two Jin Dynasties.

He recalled mentions by Yan Keji, Han Qingtao, and Li Hang of three human realms, combined with his own visits to both the Han and Tang human realms—and a sudden thought struck him:

Was the Two Jin human realm about to begin its own spiritual energy tide?

Also within the Two Jin human realm.

In the north.

Vimasha, head of the Sumeru Buddhist Sect, sat upright atop a white male lion, radiant like the sun, shining across all directions.

The Solar Lion Throne, one of the Sumeru Sect’s supreme treasures, stood alongside the Aksobhya Elephant Throne and the Amitabha Peacock Throne as legendary artifacts.

Most of the time, this treasure remained in Sumeru, never entering the human realm.

But Vimasha had made an exception, bringing the Solar Lion Throne into the Two Jin human realm to fulfill a mission given to him by the Venerable Zhihui.

He was to artificially trigger the spiritual energy tide in this realm ahead of its natural timing.

Though aided by the Solar Lion Throne, Vimasha was merely an executor.

The true key to altering the human realm lay elsewhere.

Centered around Vimasha and the throne, pure white perfect Buddhist light radiated outward, forming what looked like a Vajra Realm of the Diamond Platform.

One end was Vimasha and the Solar Lion Throne.

The other end was a unique vajra scepter.

A gift from the Venerable Zhihui.

Using this as the foundation, it shook the human realm.

As Vimasha performed his ritual, the Vajra Realm formed by him and the vajra scepter began to transform.

The Buddhist light gradually faded and then started to vanish entirely.

The entire Vajra Realm now resembled a blooming lotus—only for its petals to fold inward, sink into the mud, and turn into a lotus seed in slumber.

In that fleeting moment, it took the form of the Vajra-to-Womb Mandala transformation.

By the end, neither Vimasha, the Solar Lion Throne, nor the scepter gifted by the Venerable Zhihui could be seen in the human realm.

But the mystical changes that stirred the realm’s spiritual energy only grew stronger.

And the changes weren’t limited to the north.

In the south of the Two Jin human realm, in a vast void, Buddhist light surged once more.

Golden Buddhist light blanketed the area, forming an independent Pure Land Realm within the mortal world.

In this realm, chants echoed endlessly, celestial flowers rained from the skies, and sacred trees emitted fragrant light.

At its heart sat a towering Dharma Body—Abbot Baoneng of the Southern Jin’s Little Western Paradise.

Clad in kasaya robes, face radiant with calm dignity, he silently recited sutras.

He, too, was an executor.

The true core of this Pure Land was the monk’s staff that stood before him.

A staff gifted by the Venerable Puguang of Saha.

With this as the center, the Pure Land evolved and disturbed the realm’s spiritual energy from another point—echoing the Sumeru side from the north.

As time passed and the Pure Land stabilized, beside Abbot Baoneng’s Dharma Body, Buddhist light began to condense into a second body.

A Perfected Dharma Body cultivator of the Ninth Heaven with the Five Vows of Compassion complete could condense a Reward Body.

Once his Reward Body was fully formed, Abbot Baoneng stepped forward and withdrew the monk's staff from the center of the Pure Land.

With that action, the entire Pure Land underwent a transformation.

The golden Buddhist light began to recede, yet the Buddhist essence only became more profound, and the Pure Land shifted from the tangible to the intangible.

Abbot Baoneng disappeared along with the staff.

But just like with Sumeru, the effects left behind by the Saha Sect continued.

As spiritual energy surged and shifted, various transformations began to take shape.

The void gateways that linked the human realm with Sumeru and Saha quaked repeatedly.

The distinct Buddhist insights of each created a line connecting all three.

Thus, the spiritual energy tide of the Two Jin human realm officially began.

Though this was merely the initial stage.

All changes remained quite subtle.

Only cultivators like Shen Xi—powerful, perceptive, and attuned to divine senses—could sense even a hint of it.

For the tide to reach full force would still take a very long time.

But Shen Xi wasn’t the only one to notice.

The rulers of Southern Jin and Northern Jin soon sensed it too, influenced by their dominion over the mountains and rivers.

In Longxi, Xiao Chan, patriarch of the Xiao Clan of Northern Jin, looked solemnly toward the distant horizon.

Seated across from him was another cultivator of the Ninth Heaven, a Confucian scholar of great prestige.

But he was not from the Two Jin human realm.

It was none other than Lin Xiaoyi, patriarch of the Lin Clan in Jiangzhou of the Han Dynasty, who had come in person to visit Xiao Chan.

He, too, wore a solemn expression.

A large number of disciples from prominent families, including the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou, had already migrated into the Two Jin human realm.

As the spiritual energy tide began to form, even in its earliest phase, it promised cultivation benefits in the long term.

Still, there were pros and cons.

Especially given the powerful presence of both northern and southern Buddhist sects in this realm.

The full impact—and the realm’s future—remained uncertain to both natives like Xiao Chan and newcomers like Lin Xiaoyi.

Meanwhile, in the Tang Dynasty, Lei Jun continued to search for the remaining Yuqing Miluo Grotto-Heaven, using both Taiqing Dutian Grotto-Heaven and Shangqing Lei Mansion Grotto-Heaven to triangulate its location.

He kept a close eye on the Two Jin human realm—and detected its shifts immediately.

That realm... was it also beginning its spiritual energy tide?

Was it a natural occurrence, or had it been artificially triggered?

If it was artificial, then it was likely the work of the two Buddhist Venerables—Zhihui and Puguang.

Even a powerhouse like the Venerable Zhihui couldn’t do it alone—it had to be a joint effort.

Though usually rivals, it wasn’t impossible for them to cooperate in key moments.

Still, even for them, achieving this was incredibly difficult.

Was there some other catalyst... or an external aid?

As Lei Jun pondered, he informed Xu Yuanzhen, Yuan Mobai, Zhang Wantong, Zhang Hui, and others—then personally set out for Penglai.

Not long after entering Penglai, Lei Jun was met with a strange sight.

The endless sea and clouds of Penglai... had a large void, as though something had swept it clean.

“Little Martial Sister,” Lei Jun called.

Out of nowhere, a female Daoist appeared, sitting cross-legged in midair—it was clearly Tang Xiaotang.

“You here for closed-door cultivation too?” Tang Xiaotang greeted him casually.

Although she appeared, the void in the Penglai clouds and sea around her showed no signs of restoration.

Lei Jun replied, “Heading to the Skywatching Platform, to take a look at the Two Jin human realm.”

Tang Xiaotang: “What’s up?”

Lei Jun: “Looks like that realm’s about to start its own spiritual energy tide too.”

“Oh?” Tang Xiaotang asked, “If there are no more undiscovered realms, and the Two Jin human realm starts its own tide, doesn’t that mean the reunification of the human realms is about to begin?”

Lei Jun: “Not just yet. Only once the tide reaches a certain intensity will the next stage begin.”

Tang Xiaotang stood and joined him: “Let’s go—I want to see for myself.”

Lei Jun summoned the Yuqing Universal Mirror and brought it to rest on the Skywatching Platform within Penglai.

As the mirror’s light flowed, it revealed the scene of the Two Jin human realm.

Even though they could only view it from afar, for Lei Jun and Tang Xiaotang, the subtle clues were enough to confirm their suspicions.

Lei Jun focused the mirror, zooming in on a particular mountain range.

They saw a once-withered spiritual spring slowly begin to show signs of recovery.

Lei Jun nodded slightly. “It’s begun.”

Tang Xiaotang stared at the mirror and asked after a moment of silence:

“With the different environments and large populations across realms, what will it look like if multiple realms reunite? And which realm’s geography will become the new baseline?”

Lei Jun: “Too early to say. Maybe the pre-split geography from the end of the Han will reappear. Maybe all the landscapes will expand severalfold. Or maybe it’ll all mesh together—who knows.”

Regardless of the form, such a geographic upheaval would be a catastrophe for all life dependent on it.

Still, the reunification of the realms was inevitable—only a matter of time.

It could be accelerated by human hands, but not stopped.

That’s what “the unstoppable tide of destiny” meant—it didn’t always play out as people hoped.

“When that time comes, it’s every man for himself. Daoist treasures and grotto-heavens, Confucian rituals and national rites, Buddhist mandalas and seed-Sumeru containment…” Lei Jun remarked.

Tang Xiaotang let out a long breath and nodded heavily. “Such a vast world, with so many people—we cultivators will have to be ready.”

Lei Jun: “You’re absolutely right.”

But as he gazed at the Two Jin human realm, another thought arose:

Back in the final calamity at the end of the Han, did the culprits anticipate another disaster upon the realms’ future reunification?

According to Baimei and Zhang Wantong, that calamity stemmed from the aftermath of one final battle.

Had someone already started preparing in secret, even back then?

Lei Jun gave a slight shake of his head, pushing aside the thought. He needed to focus on the present.

While observing the Two Jin realm through the Yuqing Universal Mirror, he continued his efforts to locate the Yuqing Miluo Grotto-Heaven.

Inside Taiqing Dutian Grotto-Heaven and Shangqing Lei Mansion, countless talismans formed massive arrays, with brilliant symbols shining at their cores.

A faint glow flickered in Lei Jun’s eyes—his Heaven-Earth Penetration Talisman active.

Through this, three lights appeared in his vision.

Two burned steadily.

The third flickered—sometimes visible, sometimes not.

Lei Jun attempted a ritual to fix its position and make it appear in the mortal realm.

But at that moment, the flickering light was completely obscured by some unknown force.

His gaze sharpened.

Under the talisman’s power, a vast scroll of rivers and mountains unfolded in his mind’s eye.

The glowing light quickly dimmed under its veil.

Lei Jun, who had visited both the Southern and Northern Jin capitals, recognized the aura—it seemed to originate from a royal treasure of the original unified Jin Dynasty.

Currently, neither of the Two Jins held this treasure.

It had gone missing during the dynasty’s split.

Just like the Yuqing Miluo Grotto-Heaven.

Most likely, they had both fallen into the same hands.

Even with the Jin Dynasty Landscape Map, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to hide the grotto-heaven from Lei Jun.

More precisely, the treasure wasn’t used to conceal the grotto.

Someone had already hidden the grotto—and was now using the landscape map to hide their own identity.

Given the context, there were only two possibilities—Sumeru or Saha.