Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 456: Lightning Master Caught in the Middle

Lei Jun's gaze shifted from mid-air down to the ground.

The source of the Xuantian Abyss lay above, high above the clouds in the heavens.

But the entrance mentioned in the second-tier middle lot was, conversely, located on the ground below.

The earth had cracked open, deep ravines crisscrossed the terrain, and the abyss extended downward. Rather than narrowing, it became wider, forming what vaguely resembled a valley on the surface.

Could a second-grade opportunity really be found down there?

Yet such a second-grade opportunity was associated with a middle-tier lot—meaning significant immediate danger and potential long-term consequences.

Given Lei Jun’s current cultivation and strength, this lot implied that both the short-term risk and the lingering aftermath were anything but trivial.

While pondering this, he turned to his junior brother Chu Kun and said, “Let’s not act rashly. More than one Immortal-level expert is buried here, and the upper Time Rift above is strange—it could still harbor other changes.”

Chu Kun nodded in agreement. “You're right, Senior Brother.”

As they spoke, he took out his own personally refined artifact: the Starlight Shadowless Banner.

While Chu Kun used the banner to conceal his presence, Lei Jun casually brushed his fingers across the fabric of the flag.

At once, a talisman flickering with faint light appeared on its surface.

Chu Kun recognized it immediately—it was Lei Jun’s Heavenstride Talisman.

The talisman shimmered like moon and stars in cyclical motion, currently displaying the mysteries of the Shadow Path. Paired with the banner, it made Chu Kun even harder to detect.

With his own cultivation, his artifact, and Lei Jun’s talisman, unless he made some major move, even most Ninth Heaven cultivators would have difficulty tracking him.

As for Lei Jun himself—despite his Taicang Eightfold Cloak still hovering in the sky—just by his own divine power and spells alone, very few at his level could pierce through his concealment.

The two of them seemed to fade into the air itself, silently overlooking the vast world below. As others entered from outside, new changes began to unfold.

Those arriving from the mortal realm of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms—mostly martial artists, monks, or shamans—were predictable.

Among them, the monks and shamans—whose paths emphasized spiritual refinement—were highly perceptive.

Martial artists, while less adept at proactively sensing their surroundings, were extremely alert to being watched.

To avoid exposure, Chu Kun himself minimized outward probing.

Meanwhile, Lei Jun’s Heaven-Earth Sight Talisman silently operated in his eyes, absorbing every change within this half of the Great Matrix.

“At least five Ninth Heaven cultivators,” Lei Jun calmly transmitted to Chu Kun. “Two monks, two shamans, one martial artist. Three more Eighth Heaven cultivators—all martial artists.”

Chu Kun did a quick mental calculation.

In that martial-dominated mortal world, battles and dynastic change were constant. According to earlier intel from Lei Jun and Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen, setting aside foreign tribes, the Central Realm was currently split among five contending powers.

Namely, the Later Han that replaced the Later Chu, plus Beiliang, Nanyue, Later Shu, and Southern Chu.

Now within the Great Matrix, aside from the monks and shamans, four martial artists had entered—one Ninth Heaven and three Eighth Heaven.

Except for Beiliang, who lost their Stone Saber to Xu Yuanzhen, the other four kingdoms all had sent in representatives.

Still, it seemed like this was just reconnaissance—most weren’t going all in yet.

Lei Jun raised an eyebrow slightly.

He noticed that the Later Han’s representative was Zhou Pu, who possessed one of the Hidden Stars from his Heavenly Tome.

Publicly, the Later Han rose with Buddhist support. But Zhou Pu never really got along with the monks, and this time, he’d entered solo—separate from Abbot Zhiquan of the Glazed Meditation Courtyard and the other monk.

Neither Zhou Pu nor Zhiquan and his peer had made any moves yet, instead first observing and exploring.

Still, within this desolate half of the Great Matrix, the grand and eerie Xuantian Abyss was impossible to ignore.

For martial artists like Zhou Pu and Zhang Mengchen, the abyss was directly tied to the Stone Saber.

The martial intent there had practically solidified into reality—it stirred all who entered.

“The resting place of a Martial Immortal?”

Abbot Zhiquan exchanged a glance with Master Duci before both looked up in unison.

The abyss stretched straight into the clouds.

Above the sky—that was its true origin.

Though neither monk sought martial legacies, their curiosity about the abyss’s source ran deep.

Their main goal here was to investigate, on orders from Revered Puguang and the abbot of Xiaoxitian from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms—Duming.

This place was tied to the Heavenly Palace disaster from the Han’s collapse—if they could uncover its truth, all the better.

Zhiquan looked around and softly said, “Southern Chu’s ruler, Benefactor Li Weilie, seems to have entered the Matrix himself.”

Li Weilie—the current king of Southern Chu, a Ninth Heaven martial saint, and one of the human world’s leading powers.

He’d rushed in the moment the Matrix opened, clearly hoping to claim a head start—a calculated gamble.

Even with Southern Chu backed by the Saha Buddhist Order, Li Weilie’s determination meant he’d likely seize any chance, even if it meant clashing with the monks.

“If so, let’s head upward first,” Master Duci said calmly.

Zhiquan nodded, and the two monks journeyed together toward the sky above the abyss.

At the same time, two of the Ten Shamans of Spirit Mountain—Shamaness Lei Lei and Shaman Luo—arrived with Nanyue’s heir, Zhang Mengchen.

Lei Lei's eyes also fixed far off on the abyss.

The newly appointed Shaman Luo said, “There’s an Immortal-level corpse here. The martial intent is so refined—there might even be a complete corpse or divine weapon. Congrats, Senior Sister Lei.”

Lei Lei, a Ninth Heaven Ghost Dao Descending Spirit Shaman, certainly saw this as a major opportunity.

But she remained calm. “No rush. First, let’s figure out what’s really going on here. Later, we’ll report to the king.”

The dark-skinned middle-aged man beside her said, “Then let’s get started.”

Their group moved toward the obvious first target—the abyss.

Once someone truly entered it, the abyss began to change again.

The chaotic spiritual and demonic energies above swirled violently, causing massive upheaval.

Rocks shook, clouds rolled, and the abyss twisted like a waking dragon.

Rather than collapsing, the abyss pulled the surrounding world with it, distorting reality.

Lei Lei was separated from her companions in the chaos.

Frowning, she steadied herself.

While reaching out to her allies, she looked up—despite the unstable surroundings, the abyss still pierced the heavens. She could sense the true danger lay above.

The black-veiled Lei Lei immediately flew upward.

But as she neared the source, her steps slowed.

Her spiritual sensitivity—hallmark of Ghost Dao—alerted her instantly.

Moments later, Buddhist chants and sacred melodies rang out in all directions.

Golden dragons soared within the abyss—not just one, but two.

Each dragon coiled around a massive Buddhist avatar. The Great Vajra Dragon Bodhisattvas rose, facing each other, refusing to yield, and clashed with thunderous might.

“Amitabha,”

Master Duci pressed his palms together, facing the identical form of his own bodhisattva across from him, sorrow in his eyes. “Demon!”

The other monk vanished into his avatar—it was no physical being, only a lingering soul.

That soul was controlled by Lei Lei.

Duci’s calm broke.

Lei Lei’s veiled face was unreadable, her tone even: “And the other? Zhiquan from the Glazed Courtyard?”

As she spoke, golden lotuses and chanting filled the space, shielding her from the opposing bodhisattva.

From within golden clouds, more dragons rose, transforming into sacred rain.

Yet Duci’s avatar didn’t block—he was shielded by something far more potent: a massive Glazed Lotus, larger than even the vajra form.

In its center, another Buddhist avatar appeared—this one thin, gaunt, and solemn.

It looked exactly like Abbot Zhiquan.

While not physically imposing, this avatar was more impenetrable than any before.

This was the Form of Discipline—the first tier of the Fivefold Discipline Body, hallmark of Glazed Courtyard monks.

Within the five layers of Ninth Heaven Buddhist cultivation, this form provided unparalleled passive defense—superior even to some other complete Ninth Heaven cultivators.

Zhiquan had clearly progressed—likely reaching the second tier, the Form of Meditation.

His lotus expanded, shielding both himself and Duci.

The vajra avatar turned glazed in color, its durability amplified.

Pushing forward, it ignored attacks and bore down on Lei Lei herself.

Ghost Dao shamans did not rely on physical bodies—their forms were soul-forged.

But even so, Lei Lei remained calm.

She raised her hand and punched.

Despite its smaller size, her punch halted the bodhisattva’s advance.

A small black spot flickered on its golden fist—soon healed, but it showed the impact.

Her blow came from a walking corpse—the reanimated body of a Ninth Heaven martial saint.

Specifically, the last king of the now-fallen Eastern Qi.

So the rumors of his disappearance had been true—he’d long been Lei Lei’s puppet.

Only such a weapon could break through Zhiquan’s meditative defenses.

But the lotus soon shielded everything again, forcing Lei Lei’s puppet back.

Duci moved forward, but—unbeknownst to him—the “Lei Lei” he’d struck was only the corpse.

The real Lei Lei was elsewhere.

Still, the monks did not rush—they had the upper hand.

Lei Lei, seeing this, retreated decisively.

Duci and Zhiquan, though enraged by her use of a monk’s soul, did not pursue.

They secured the abyss’s origin for themselves, rising toward the heavens to explore its secrets.

Lei Jun observed all of this quietly, choosing neither side.

His expression turned slightly odd.

Lei Lei, from Spirit Mountain, was meant to have an ally.

The other Shaman, Luo, had entered too.

But during the earlier upheaval, Luo had conveniently "gotten separated."

…And Lei Jun suspected it was intentional.

While Lei Lei and the monks went skyward, Luo was off alone, gathering things mid-abyss—completely absorbed.

Lei Jun chuckled.

Medium build, dark skin, unkempt but bright-eyed.

Who else but Sun Li—Elder of the Samsara Abyss from the Tang Dynasty’s Ghost Dao?

Lei Jun had always known he was a hidden ace—but seeing him paired with a Spirit Mountain shaman still made him want to rub his forehead.