Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 463: Slaying an Immortal in Reverse

The Xuanhuang Cosmos had yet to dissipate. Lei Jun, standing at its center, silently watched as Chan Master Chonghui was utterly annihilated, body and spirit both.

He lifted a hand, and a white lotus glowing faintly with golden light floated to him.

From it, he could sense profound Buddhist essence.

The name "Immovable Venerable’s Lotus Platform" surfaced in Lei Jun’s mind.

It seemed this was the Third-Grade Fortune mentioned in the Middle-Upper Divination Slip.

Though Lei Jun came from the Daoist sect, this treasure still held research value for him. It could be used to refine certain Dharma tools or magical artifacts.

However, if it fell into the hands of a Buddhist cultivator—especially one from the Vow Transmission Lineage—it would be far more potent.

This was far beyond the scope of what a so-called third-grade opportunity could describe.

The actions of Venerable Puguang and Chan Master Chonghui had already proven that.

Yet, as Lei Jun gazed at the Immovable Venerable’s Lotus Platform, the first thought in his mind was not whether his senior brother Wang Guiyuan could use it, but rather whether this lotus might still be entangled with residual influence from Venerable Puguang.

The subsequent karmic threads mentioned in the Middle-Upper Slip likely pointed to this.

Thus, Lei Jun summoned his own Daoist power, forming a black-and-white Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram.

The diagram covered the Immovable Venerable’s Lotus Platform.

The lotus emitted a burst of golden light, but it was quickly shrouded by the black and white of the Taiji Diagram.

Lei Jun then retrieved the Guiyuan Bottle.

The lotus platform was sucked into the bottle.

He traced glowing runes in the air. Radiance condensed from void into form—a spirit talisman—and he pressed it onto the mouth of the bottle.

The Buddhist aura previously leaking from the lotus platform vanished instantly.

The timing wasn’t right. Lei Jun had other matters to attend to. He simply took basic precautions to ensure the lotus wouldn’t act up for now. Once everything settled, he’d review the item thoroughly with Senior Brother Wang Guiyuan.

His Great Vehicle Dao Domain, the Xuanhuang Cosmos, contracted and dispersed, and Lei Jun departed Black Ocean Island.

Halfway through, his senior sister Xu Yuanzhen sent a message:

"Your task’s done?"

Lei Jun replied, “It’s wrapped up for now. I’m heading to deal with Kongsang and Yellow Springs. You go do your thing.”

Xu Yuanzhen simply responded with an “Mm,” and said no more.

Lei Jun returned to the mainland, and the Yuqing Celestial Mirror moved with him. The mirror light once again swept over the area around Sapo Portal near Lesser Western Heaven of Southern Jin.

There, Xu Yuanzhen’s figure flitted across the world, shifting with each step.

Each step she took landed on what seemed like a phantom stone bridge.

Every time she vanished, the bridge did too—but it would reappear wherever she reappeared, carrying her once more.

Even Lei Jun’s Yuqing Mirror couldn’t lock onto her exact location at all times.

Still, she never strayed far from the Sapo Portal.

Both her hands were occupied.

In her left hand was a dust whisk, and in her right, a sword.

The whisk had lost many of its threads.

The sword was broken—a snapped blade.

From the portal, golden Buddhist light poured out, forming clouds of golden auspicious mist, within which Arhat-like figures shimmered faintly. More and more, this golden light condensed into the image of a Heavenly Dragon, its head poking forth.

This fearsome Divine Heavenly Dragon far outclassed Chan Master Chonghui and even Wang Guiyuan in aura. It was clearly beyond the control of the Abbot of Lesser Western Heaven.

There was only one person in Sapo with that level of cultivation: Venerable Puguang.

Yet even as the divine dragon’s aura pressed forward, it could not break out of the portal.

Not only was the auspicious cloud constantly losing threads of Buddhist essence as it tried to expand outward—

Each time it surged forth, Xu Yuanzhen’s sword came down with a slash.

Every collision chipped off more of the already broken blade, the shards turning to dust and drifting away, making the sword look even shorter.

But with each slash, the golden cloud’s expansion faltered.

Xu Yuanzhen’s face remained calm, her gaze cold and clear.

But Lei Jun, who knew her well, could tell—she was enjoying herself.

The same could not be said for Venerable Puguang.

Earlier, while maintaining the buffer realm of Sapo's World of Endurance, Puguang was caught off guard when Xu Yuanzhen suddenly revealed her strange dust whisk.

As the whisk swept through the air, vast amounts of dust from the World of Endurance peeled off and were drawn into a blazing green furnace—formed from her own True Fire of the Nine Abysses.

Within the furnace, a long sword was already being refined.

Though the whisk had been worn down, Xu Yuanzhen had drawn the dust into her furnace to forge that sword.

Calling it a "sword" wasn’t quite right—it wasn’t even made of metal.

It was a clay sword embryo.

The furnace wasn’t so much refining a sword as firing pottery.

When Venerable Puguang sensed that Chan Master Chonghui had been cut off and the Immovable Lotus lost, he personally stepped into the mortal world of Liang and Jin.

At that moment, Xu Yuanzhen drew the clay sword from the blazing green furnace.

The very instant it clashed with Puguang’s Buddhist light, the tip shattered into dust.

But Puguang was halted, stuck at the edge of the Sapo Portal, unable to advance.

Although the clay sword continued to shatter and shrink with every clash, and Venerable Puguang did take slow steps forward into the human world through the Sapo Portal, he felt no joy at all.

Time ticked on.

When he finally sensed that Chan Master Chonghui had perished and could no longer be resurrected, he rushed to try to retrieve his soul—

But Xu Yuanzhen’s clay sword came down again.

With that slash, the blade—already barely half its original length—shortened drastically once more.

This interruption made Puguang suddenly realize: the people on Black Ocean Island had actually severed Chonghui’s path to rebirth.

His most prized disciple had fallen permanently in the world of Liang and Jin.

The Immovable Lotus Platform was also lost.

As for the clay sword that kept shortening in Xu Yuanzhen’s hand—

Venerable Puguang remained calm, neither angry nor despondent.

Before him stood a Daoist talisman cultivator, clad in violet robes and a black cloak, not just a Fifth-Layer cultivator of the Ninth Heaven on the verge of ascending to immortality through Five Qi Toward the Mysterious.

By now, Puguang could tell: this woman had extraordinary perception. She was very likely one of the rare Cosmic Immortal Physiques of the Daoist sects.

She was no ordinary cultivator.

Even though he had placed high hopes on Chonghui, Puguang knew his disciple could not match this woman.

Without the clay sword, she might no longer meet him head-on. But in the vast land of Liang and Jin, she could come and go as she pleased.

The one who had ambushed Chonghui was likely Lei Jun, who had left earlier.

Xu Yuanzhen was holding the line at the Sapo Portal to buy time for Lei Jun.

Otherwise, Puguang could think of several alternate strategies she might have used.

Now, she had achieved her goal.

With no chance of saving Chonghui or reclaiming the Immovable Lotus, Puguang cooled his mind and turned his attention to other matters.

What was happening in Kongsang?

Where were the other elite cultivators from the Great Tang Realm, aside from Lei Jun and Xu Yuanzhen?

Puguang pressed his palms together in silent prayer.

He didn’t step further into the human world. Instead, he completely withdrew back into Sapo.

The divine dragon’s clouds dispersed, the golden light dimming.

The World of Endurance within Sapo resumed its flow and began sealing the void portal.

As the enemy retreated, Xu Yuanzhen remained composed and stepped forward once more.

She casually tossed the almost entirely shattered broken sword into the blazing green sea of fire above.

Then she glanced at the now-half-bald dust whisk, and shook her head slightly.

But even so, she still threw the whisk forward again.

The whisk drew a graceful arc in the air and touched the World of Endurance’s terrain once more, causing its flow to stall. The void portal warped, disturbing the space around it.

Meanwhile, Lei Jun, observing from afar with his Yuqing Mirror, saw Xu Yuanzhen clearly enjoying herself.

He turned his focus back to his own mission and left the realm of Liang and Jin altogether.

---

He returned to Yellow Springs.

Following the path previously used to open the portal from Yellow Springs to the Former Song Realm, he reactivated it.

Once the void portal reopened, Lei Jun used Daoist talismans to seal off some of the Underworld's ghostly aura, then made his way to the Bashu region of the Former Song Realm.

He silently whispered an apology.

Then, unfurling his Great Vehicle Dao Domain, he discreetly transported some of the local mortal residents out of the area.

These civilians were temporarily relocated to the Great Tang Realm, to be returned later.

There, Yuan Mobai, whom Lei Jun had contacted beforehand, would arrange a temporary refuge.

With the power and discretion that both Lei Jun and Yuan Mobai now commanded, they could move people without stirring the slightest commotion—mortals would remain unaware that anything around them had changed.

Lei Jun left behind traces in the Former Song Realm that resembled those from years past—when Inner Shushan Sect disciples exploited wartime chaos to abduct mortals into Yellow Springs.

Around the river systems, the current active forces were the demonic beasts of Guixu.

Upon receiving news, they immediately rushed over.

Lei Jun slaughtered the first wave completely, leaving no survivors.

When more powerful demons arrived later, they found the area deserted, save for the portal to Yellow Springs.

They tried to breach it, but were repelled by dense gray mist.

An immense, chilling bell toll shook their very souls.

These demons attempted to seal the Yellow Springs portal, but failed—and took additional casualties.

Eventually, the Guixu monsters had no choice but to retreat and monitor from afar, while notifying both the Golden Khanate and the Kunpeng Demon Saint, as well as Golden Khan Ongqinfu in Kongsang.

Those in the Golden Khanate received the news but weren’t too concerned.

The Inner Shushan Sect had exploited chaos in the Former Song Realm to loot Yellow Springs more than once in the past.

Rumor had it that they had recently suffered heavy blows and been quiet for some years.

Now, it seemed they were stirring again.

Normally, experts like Haritana from the Khanate would ally with Sea-Covering Flood Dragon King and counterattack into Yellow Springs immediately.

However, current circumstances required caution.

They still had to guard against potential trouble from the Earth Sea or Great Tang cultivators.

If Earth Sea remained still and the void portal to the Great Tang Realm didn’t change, then Yellow Springs wasn’t a pressing concern.

Unless the Inner Shushan Sect Master Ji Yao had already ascended to the immortal realm, the battered sect likely couldn’t cause any major disturbance beyond the initial ambush.

Some even considered not sealing the Yellow Springs portal at all—just surrounding it.

After Ongqinfu, Kunpeng, and Venerable Shanzhihui resolved matters in Kongsang, they could turn their attention to Yellow Springs if needed.

Even if things got messy, Arata the Demon Tiger, Sea-Covering Flood Dragon King, and Haritana would have more than enough strength to suppress Yellow Springs.

Neither Ji Yao nor the rumored Five Decays Grand Dao Bell would be able to stop them.

That was what Aersilang, son of Golden Khan Ongqinfu, was thinking after hearing of the unrest in Bashu.

But then he suddenly received an urgent report:

Sumeru was under attack—and at risk of falling.

His expression changed at once, and he forced himself to stay calm.

Now it seemed that before the dust could even settle in Kongsang, they might have to stop Inner Shushan Sect from resealing Yellow Springs again.

---

Yellow Springs.

Lei Jun stood beside the Five Decays Grand Dao Bell.

As a talisman cultivator, he wasn’t naturally attuned to this elite refiner’s treasure, and couldn’t unleash its full power.

But thanks to his extraordinary perception and insight, he could still awaken part of its spiritual essence.

Against a powerful foe, that wasn’t enough.

But for concealment and misdirection, it was more than sufficient.

Seeing that no one from the Former Song Realm came to seal the Yellow Springs portal, Lei Jun nodded slightly.

He calmed his mind and began to set his arrangements.

Within Yellow Springs' Nine Abysses, the River of Oblivion remained calm.

But underneath that tranquility, turbulence stirred—the tides had begun to shift.

Lei Jun moved throughout the Yellow Springs, reactivating the countless talismans he had once planted during his past seclusion.

More were added now, spreading in all directions.

Then, he waited.

Soon, he received messages from his junior sister Tang Xiaotang and from Empress Zhang Wantong.

The battle in Kongsang was over.

Venerable Shanzhihui had gone all in.

From the moment he sensed that the Embryo World of Sumeru was being overtaken and the Diamond Realm was forcibly reopened—he had already seen it coming.

Sumeru is lost this time.

Though news from Sumeru was fragmented, combining that with his firsthand battle experience against Zhang Wantong, he quickly pieced together a general picture of what had happened.

Zhang Wantong had managed to leave behind an incarnation in the mortal realm—something akin to a Buddhist avatar.

That incarnation had already entered Sumeru. If Venerable Shanzhihui were to change his mind and try to reclaim Sumeru, there’s no way he could be faster than Zhang Wantong.

If that happened, she would seize Sumeru first and block him at the gate. Then, once battle broke out, she’d already be inside while he remained outside.

Fall behind by one step, and you fall behind all the way. If she succeeded in breaking through Sumeru’s Vajra Wheel of Reincarnation, then Venerable Shanzhihui’s current choice was clear—

He had to take Kongsang.

Or, he had to seriously injure Zhang Wantong right here.

In the end, the battle for Kongsang concluded with Venerable Shanzhihui taking control of the realm.

Zhang Wantong, using her mortal body, entered Sumeru.

Tang Xiaotang retreated back to Datong through the Han Prince Xiang Chengyuan’s ritual technique.

In the chaos, she killed Ongqinfu’s mount—the demon tiger Arata—but she was also injured.

Now in Datong, while healing with her Nine-Colored Radiance, she spoke with Lei Jun:

“That monk from Sumeru finally showed some real skill. At the very least, he’s mastered the second seal of the Three Seals of the Golden Body—‘All Phenomena Are Without Self.’”

The Three Seals of the Golden Body in Buddhism were: Impermanence of All Things, Selflessness of All Phenomena, and Tranquil Nirvana.

Their Daoist counterparts would be the Three Celestial Realms of Dao Illumination through talismans, or the Three Flowers Atop the Head in alchemy.

“According to Her Majesty the Tang Empress, he had already brushed up against the threshold of Nirvana back then. His current state might be the result of his cultivation regressing after a great tribulation,” Lei Jun commented.

Then he asked, “Junior Sister, that intel about the Sea Valley in Kongsang—was it accurate? Did you get anything?”

Bathed in swirling nine-colored light, Tang Xiaotang still looked pale, but she held a glowing pearl in her palm and smiled:

“I got something. Together with the Xuan Capital Purple Qi from Kunlun, I’ve moved a step closer to naturally attaining enlightenment.”

Lei Jun understood immediately.

No wonder that upper-middle fortune was categorized as a third-tier opportunity.

It was indeed something valuable—just not quite suitable for him personally.

But for Tang Xiaotang, it was perfect.

And according to the fortune’s description, there might be karmic repercussions to follow.

Which meant…

“Sumeru’s monk and that b*****d Ongqinfu better not get too smug.”

Sure enough, Tang Xiaotang chuckled darkly while gazing at the pearl in her hand. “There’s still trouble ahead, but with this, Kongsang’s not done yet.”

Lei Jun smiled. “Nice—couldn’t be better.”

---

At the same time, in the Former Song Realm, tensions ran high between the Golden Khanate and the Sumeru Lotus Sect.

Once Venerable Shanzhihui committed to the battle for Kongsang, he immediately sent a command back to his disciples still in Sumeru.

Due to the immense distances and unstable transmission channels, he feared his message wouldn’t reach them in time.

If Kongsang couldn’t be taken, then all was lost anyway.

But if Kongsang was secured, then Sumeru was very likely lost.

In such a scenario, the only option was swift and decisive action—preserve the people, abandon the land.

If Zhang Wantong’s true body arrived in Sumeru, the consequences were self-explanatory.

Even though the monks in Sumeru began retreating and fighting their way out the moment they sensed her approach, they still suffered heavy casualties, including Fandatuo, the head of the Jewel Division.

Zhang Wantong’s mortal avatar possessed power equal to her full cultivation at the fifth stage of the Ninth Heaven. Personally leading the charge with top Tang experts like Zhang Hui, they launched a surprise attack, turning Sumeru into a bloody slaughterhouse.

In the end, only Vimasha, head of the Dharma Division, and Jatila, head of the Karma Division, managed to escape with a handful of stronger monks.

Given the unstable situation in the Former Song Realm, Vimasha and Jatila split forces.

Vimasha took a portion of the monks into the Former Song Realm.

Jatila led another group to the Great Ming Realm.

When Vimasha joined up with the remaining Lotus Sect monks in the Former Song Realm, silence fell over the gathering.

After thousands of years, Sumeru had fallen.

There was no time to mourn. The first issue they faced was cold reality.

Originally, the attack on Kongsang had dual purposes: aiding Venerable Shanzhihui and allowing Ongqinfu to take control of Kongsang—one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

That would’ve allowed Ongqinfu to cease wandering in the void and instead cultivate in peace within Kongsang.

Both Sumeru and the Golden Khanate would get what they wanted and solidify their alliance.

But now that Shanzhihui had lost Sumeru, he needed to claim a realm to recover.

Kongsang was now non-negotiable for him.

The Kunpeng Demon Saint, on the other hand, didn’t need Kongsang itself—he was mainly after a spiritual treasure inside.

As long as he got it, he was content to step aside.

But if Shanzhihui occupied all of Kongsang and forced Ongqinfu to go to Guixu and live peacefully with the Kunpeng, that demon would definitely not agree.

So now, tensions between the Western Buddhist Sect and the Golden Khanate were rising.

Luckily, someone reckless came along...

“His Majesty commands—prepare my mount!”

Ongor Asr, the Golden Khanate’s martial saint who had once entered Yellow Springs, arrived near the newly re-opened void gate in Bashu, Former Song Realm. He roared:

“Ready the troops! We ride with His Majesty!”

The army gathered swiftly.

It was as if an invisible giant stomped across the land, scattering streaks of light in its wake.

As the portal to the misty Yellow Springs began to close from the inside, sensing the threat, Ongor Asr stepped forward to keep it open.

In the distance, a figure appeared.

Countless foreign warriors knelt: “Great Khan!”

A blood-red chi dragon, wild and unruly, roared furiously.

Especially after Ongor Asr stopped restraining it, the beast grew more violent, on the verge of breaking free.

But when a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man appeared, the dragon shuddered and fell silent.

“Forgive us, Great Han. We’ve only got this chi dragon as a spare mount,” one warrior explained.

The man just shook his head. “It’s fine. This will do.”

He cast a single calm glance at the beast.

The once-raging chi dragon bowed its head, becoming meek as a lamb.

For a beast equal in strength to a Ninth Heaven human cultivator to submit instantly, only one person could make that happen:

Golden Khan Ongqinfu.

When he climbed atop the dragon’s head, it roared again—even more ferocious than before.

But toward Ongqinfu, it was now completely obedient.

Even so, Ongqinfu merely shook his head.

Compared to his old companion, Arata, this chi dragon was weaker.

The boost it gave him was limited.

Arata had been just one step away from becoming a demon saint.

If Ongqinfu had claimed Dihai earlier, or if he could’ve taken Kongsang this time, Arata could’ve followed him into further cultivation, maybe even broken into the immortal realm.

But the battle for Kongsang cost Arata his life—at the hands of Zhang Wantong and Tang Xiaotang.

...Ongqinfu even suspected that Venerable Shanzhihui had deliberately let him take the fall.

Too bad Shanzhihui had superior cultivation and claimed Kongsang first.

That Kunpeng demon appeared neutral—but who knew what it was thinking?

In the end, Ongqinfu had no choice but to abandon Kongsang and turn toward Yellow Springs.

It was lucky he cultivated martial arts—otherwise, walking the mortal realm right after that massive battle would’ve been too much.

Though Ongor Asr struggled to stop the portal from closing, Ongqinfu didn’t need to move. He replaced Asr and arrived at the nearly shut void gate.

He entered effortlessly.

And the Yellow Springs portal reopened.

Golden Khanate warriors surged in behind him.

To a mounted martial cultivator like Ongqinfu, these people were his true strength—enough to create qualitative change through sheer quantity.

This was Asr’s second time in Yellow Springs.

Just like before—cold, eerie, lifeless.

For a warrior driven by yang energy and blood, this place was pure discomfort.

He said beside the chi dragon, “Great Khan, the enemies here can stir tides that ripple across all of Yellow Springs.”

Ongqinfu replied calmly, “It’s fine.”

This wasn’t a suitable place for martial cultivation—not like Kongsang, Dihai, Datong, or Sumeru.

But as a temporary refuge, it was the best he had.

As for whoever used to dwell here...

His eyes flashed. In an instant, he and the chi dragon appeared at the center of Yellow Springs.

But he saw no sign of the Fengdu City of Inner Shu, nor the people that Dan Pagoda Master from Sumeru once mentioned.

A premonition stirred within this martial powerhouse.

Then, Yellow Springs began to shake.

Ghostly death aura from the Nine Abysses surged skyward.

The River of Forgetfulness remained silent—but the rising tides threatened to drown everything.

Ongqinfu could feel Yellow Springs rejecting him and his forces.

His answer was to draw his blade.

With one strike, the scenery within Yellow Springs turned like flat paper—and was sliced open.

That blade was real. It cut through the void, aiming to sever the shifting Yellow Springs.

But then his gaze sharpened.

Though the void distorted, numerous talisman papers lit up, spreading brilliance across the space.

Lights connected with each other, sketching a massive talisman array—ancient and intricate.

The slash severed many light lines and rune patterns.

Though the void still warped, it wasn’t instantly cleaved apart.

The River of Forgetfulness briefly stalled—then surged even more violently.

Ongqinfu’s eyes locked onto the center of the talisman array.

There, two enormous black spheres appeared, like miniature universes facing each other.

Both were Daoist Grand Illumination Realms, identical in form.

Lei Jun of Mount Longhu immediately came to mind.

And sure enough, between the two spheres, a phantom bridge had formed.

A tall young Daoist in nine-colored robes and a Yuanshi crown stood atop the bridge, surrounded by starlight and celestial constellations. Even with Ongqinfu’s sharp eyes, his form appeared somewhat illusory.

Looking at the giant talisman array that blanketed Yellow Springs, and the illusory bridge under Lei Jun’s feet, Ongqinfu spoke:

“You already claimed Yellow Springs? You've reached full mastery of the Ninth Heaven? Laid this trap just for me?”

Though he posed three questions, his tone was firm—not seeking answers.

The array not only isolated Ongqinfu and his men from the outside, but also turned the tides of the River of Forgetfulness from rejection into containment.

“Venerable Shanzhihui may be unwell, but his cultivation is profound. The Kunpeng has the form of a Great Roc, and you possess the body of a Martial Immortal,” Lei Jun said calmly from the bridge. As he spoke, the array rotated, and the two Grand Illumination Realms became the twin poles of a giant yin-yang talisman:

“If I had gone to Kongsang, the outcome would’ve been uncertain. Maybe, with Senior Sister, we’d have taken it. But we couldn’t be sure we’d stop all of you.

Here, it’s just you. You’re welcome to try.”

Ongqinfu looked around. “You’re alone?”

Lei Jun replied, “I should thank Her Majesty the Tang Empress, Junior Sister, the Kongsang Witch King... and maybe even Venerable Shanzhihui.”

Ongqinfu retracted his gaze and stared coldly at Lei Jun.

Without a breath’s delay, he and the chi dragon charged forward!

The moment Ongqinfu’s blade slashed out, Lei Jun vanished as well.

He had long manifested the image of the Doumu Spirit Officer, his starlight fully enveloping his body. Along with the phantom bridge, he reappeared elsewhere—so fast it defied the concept of speed.

Ongqinfu swept his cold gaze toward him again.

This Daoist—after ascending that bridge—could no longer be measured by mere movement speed alone.

Normally, this kind of description was reserved for martial arts masters.

But now, this Daoist surnamed Lei was even faster than Martial Immortals!

Not just faster than Harige’er, Huhedalai, and Zholigetu—

He was even faster than Ongqinfu himself at his peak Ninth Heaven cultivation!

Was this really a talisman-path Daoist?

That woman surnamed Tang from Kongsang had shown incredible speed after stepping onto the Bridge of Profound Insight, but at most she could match a Martial Immortal.

She had to rely on the mysterious primordial Qi forming ships and seas to slow down Ongqinfu and the Kunpeng when they got close, buying time to react.

It was impressive for a Ninth Heaven cultivator, but the tactic itself wasn’t unheard of.

But this guy?

He wasn’t trying to slow Ongqinfu down—

He was just... faster?

At any other time, Ongqinfu might have been curious to test this brat.

But right now, he only wanted to finish things quickly.

Their eyes met.

Ongqinfu locked eyes with Lei Jun, and suddenly divine light burst from him.

He followed the path of mounted martial arts, and compared to other martial traditions, his spiritual power was more externalized.

Even at Ninth Heaven, he already had strong offensive spiritual attacks.

Now, at Martial Immortal level, his spiritual intimidation had become a signature strength—

It could crush the will, even the soul, of countless beings in an instant.

No matter if they were beast or human—submit, or be destroyed.

But Lei Jun had no intention of letting him act unchecked.

While dodging Ongqinfu’s first strike, five talismans on the Bridge of Profound Insight under Lei Jun’s feet lit up simultaneously.

Four originated from Lei Jun himself.

One was a special talisman he had obtained from the Great Han branch of Mount Longhu before entering the Netherworld:

• The purple Heavenly Thunder Scripture Talisman

• The black Dark Firmament Five Thunders Talisman

• The gold Pure Yang of Divine Firmament Talisman

• The silver Pure Yin of Spirit Firmament Talisman

• And the crimson Celestial Capital of the Nine Heavens Treasure Talisman

He had prepared them all beforehand, even before he appeared.

This opponent was no Monk Chonghui.

Chonghui's Dharmakaya could see through illusions and point with a finger to bypass defenses—

But if Lei Jun didn’t want to be touched, he could easily outrun him, even without the Bridge of Profound Insight.

But against Martial Immortal Ongqinfu, things were different.

If Lei Jun got cocky, he might not get one-shot, but he’d definitely fall behind.

So from the moment he showed up—he was ready.

And Ongqinfu was right.

Today, Lei Jun was here to compete in speed.

Four thunder dragons and Celestial Capital Mountain pressed down on Lei Jun, yet not only did he feel no weight—his speed increased.

Thunder surged endlessly, not just enveloping him, but also fusing into the Bridge of Profound Insight beneath his feet.

Using his own Doumu Celestial Officer manifestation as a base, Lei Jun channeled the Five Divine Thunders of the Nine Heavens, reshaping the form into another god:

Three eyes, golden armor, bare feet, a lush beard, and a steel whip in hand.

With a shout from this form—thunder exploded across the Netherworld.

For years, the Yellow Springs had been silent.

Now, the thunder sounded like the awakening of spring from the silence of winter.

In this form, Lei Jun seemed completely unaffected by Ongqinfu’s mental assault.

Ripples of lightning spread out around him, blocking and transforming Ongqinfu’s spiritual pressure into visible light—completely warded off.

And Lei Jun’s speed—was now faster than before.

He was actually gaining on Ongqinfu!

This was the—

True Body of the Thunder Emperor: Nine Heavens Divine Origin.

The Sky-Piercing Whip appeared in Lei Jun’s hand, crackling with thunder.

He swung it directly at Ongqinfu.

Ongqinfu narrowly dodged, shocked.

He currently had no suitable mount.

The earlier battle and long travel had drained him.

Now, the Yin aura of the Yellow Springs was constantly eroding his vital Yang energy.

These were all disadvantages.

But even so—Lei Jun’s physical strength and speed were utterly absurd.

Ongqinfu was sure:

This was the strongest body he’d ever seen on a talisman-path Ninth Heaven cultivator. No one else came close.

Lei Jun combined the Bridge of Profound Insight and the Thunder Emperor’s true body, taking the Sky-Piercing Whip into close combat with Ongqinfu.

Aside from dodging the space-rending edge of his blade, Lei Jun took everything head-on.

When Ongqinfu’s world-breaking fists struck—Lei Jun responded with equal force.

Their clashes distorted even the array-shrouded void of the Yellow Springs, cracks threatening to form.

Ongqinfu’s Martial Immortal body was peerless in both offense and defense.

He didn’t even flinch at Lei Jun’s dual polar divine techniques—just hard-tanked them.

But Lei Jun was now faster.

Each time the whip struck, Ongqinfu’s blood surged.

Then—Ongqinfu felt a strange sensation.

Black mist started creeping around his body.

This wasn’t from Lei Jun.

It was a lingering curse from the defeated Kongsang Witch King.

Though he had lost, his sinister spells still clung on like bone worms.

The constant melee reignited the dormant curse.

Ongqinfu unleashed a flurry of attacks to force Lei Jun back and forcibly suppressed the mist again.

As a warrior, Ongqinfu was extremely sensitive to his surroundings.

And now he realized—something was off.

The battlefield was changing.

Though only a few breaths had passed since the start of the fight, the grand array had already transformed the Yellow Springs into something different.

It looked like a quiet, black cosmic void.

Distant stars flickered.

Nearby, the paths of the Celestial Sovereigns crisscrossed.

Ongqinfu had never seen Lei Jun’s Xuanhuang Cosmos.

But he had just seen Lei Jun sink both of his Great Dao domains into this array…

Had this Daoist temporarily turned the Yellow Springs into his own domain?

Ongqinfu’s heart sank.

He slashed, not at Lei Jun, but at the surrounding space—

Trying to cut a path out.

But the blade felt heavy.

The overwhelming force of geomagnetic energy had wrapped itself around his weapon.

The Polar Sea Eyes and the Magnetic Star Tracks combined to drag the blade down.

Though still sharp, the blade wasn’t enough to cut through this “Xuanhuang Cosmos”—

Lei Jun had long prepared this battlefield.

Then—Lei Jun, in his Thunder Emperor form, channeled white light into the Sky-Piercing Whip.

It was only seven parts long, but every strike carried explosive force.

Ongqinfu’s Blood Flood Dragon, his current mount, dodged—

But was still caught by the whip.

It exploded on the spot, blood raining across the cosmos.

Ongqinfu’s eyes widened.

He discarded his blade without hesitation.

Even without it, his killing intent remained.

He used his hand as a blade and struck directly at Lei Jun.

Lei Jun didn’t dodge.

Mist and rain swirled around him, and a Cloak of Eight Scenes Taiqing appeared.

Five-colored clouds drifted around him.

But Ongqinfu, as a Martial Immortal, was too strong—

His blade aura split the clouds, tore through the cloak.

Just when the blow was about to land—

A strange golden glow appeared.

Perfect, seamless—it blocked the strike.

The light shattered.

But so did Ongqinfu’s momentum.

“…What is this?”

Ongqinfu recognized the five-colored cloud.

But the golden rainbow? That was new.

He raised his arm to block the Sky-Piercing Whip—his arm went numb.

But in the next instant, his divine light flared.

Lei Jun saw it—

An army of foreign warriors charging in unison.

Shatter the Divine Continent!

Ongqinfu’s body surged with primordial savagery.

His martial will dominated heaven and earth—

His sword, though seemingly exhausted, exploded again.

It struck Lei Jun’s Thunder Emperor body and split it open.

Endless thunder erupted like blood.

Lei Jun's true body bled from the chest and stomach.

But Ongqinfu felt a grave danger.

Lei Jun’s own blood was red.

But the Thunder Emperor’s blood—black and silver.

Celestial Thunder of the Dark Firmament.

Pure Yin Divine Thunder.

All were Yin thunders.

Then—True Fire of the Nine Abysses erupted.

Lei Jun fused it with the two Yin thunders into the whip.

Even as his body broke—he was feeding the destruction into the attack.

It was the inverse of the previous Three Yang Auspicious Union.

Now—it was a Reverse Three Yang, of death and silence.

All the energy condensed into one thrust—

Not a whip crack, but a direct stab—

Target: Ongqinfu.

The Polar Sea Eyes, the Sevenfold White Light, and Dark Dust Essence all supported the strike—

Summoning the deathly Yin aura of the Yellow Springs—

And piercing Ongqinfu’s Martial Immortal body!

The blow landed.

The death aura of the Yellow Springs flooded into Ongqinfu’s body.

He grunted but didn’t back down.

Another blade—slashed at Lei Jun.

The rainbow and clouds reformed, blocking it—

But Lei Jun’s Thunder Emperor body shattered.

The Nine Heavens Celestial Capital Treasure Talisman was destroyed.

At that moment—

A phantom-like Nine-Segment Bamboo Staff radiating purple and gold light appeared in Ongqinfu’s mind.

His weakened soul couldn’t resist.

The Celestial Bamboo of Supreme Purity struck—

He staggered.

And in that brief moment—

Lei Jun’s North Pole Sword, Taiyi Sword, Guangmo Sword, Boundless Sea Sword, and Wujin Blade came flying in.

Ongqinfu evaded three, blocked one.

But when the Wujin Blade came—

The curse reactivated.

Though Lei Jun had purified it—

The Wujin Blade suddenly turned—

And struck Ongqinfu.

The black mist surged, enveloping him.

While resisting the curse—

Ongqinfu glared at Lei Jun.

His spiritual force turned into a blade—

And slashed at Lei Jun.

Without the Thunder Emperor body, the hit drove pain into Lei Jun’s mind—

His thoughts went blank.

At that very moment—

A new figure appeared behind him:

Angge Asir, the Martial Saint of the Golden Khanate!

Other Golden Khanate warriors with lower cultivation, receiving no rescue from the Golden Khan himself, were all engulfed and drowned in the tide of Yellow Springs.

Only the Ninth Heaven martial saint Angge Aseer endured with gritted teeth, finally breaking free under Ongqinfu's covert guidance and drawing near.

Seizing the moment while Lei Jun was locked in fierce combat with Ongqinfu, Angge Aseer suddenly erupted with power, slashing viciously at the back of Lei Jun’s neck!

Lei Jun, suppressed by the overwhelming spiritual might of the Golden Khan, couldn’t avoid the blow despite having the Bridge of Profound Illumination.

Just as Angge Aseer thought this would be the fatal strike, a flash of tricolored radiance erupted from the void.

A blade intent far more violent and unstoppable than his own surged from the light—a force that seemed capable of cutting through anything!

It came so fast Angge Aseer couldn’t dodge at all.

Its power was overwhelming.

In an instant, this Ninth Heaven martial saint was sliced in two on the spot!

…The Golden Khan’s blade intent?

Taoist Talisman Sect’s Three Radiances Mist and Light?

But Three Radiances Mist wasn’t all-powerful—how could it recreate such a brutal and potent attack?

That was Angge Aseer’s final thought—before he died.

Ongqinfu was just as shocked.

Now that he had reached the Martial Immortal realm, even when wounded, the impact wasn’t as severe as before. He could already begin to regenerate flesh and seal off blood loss.

But the curse energy and the flooding nether death aura of Yellow Springs raged inside him, taking a serious toll.

He forcibly stirred his blood and qi to suppress his wounds, hoping to finish off Lei Jun quickly.

Yet at that moment, the vast construct of the "Xuanhuang Universe" began to collapse, revealing once more the Yellow Springs below—its mighty River of Forgetfulness surging like a broken dam.

Countless talisman papers forming the array disintegrated, exploding in a final burst of power that slammed down on Ongqinfu.

Lei Jun, momentarily dazed, quickly regained clarity.

Around him, brilliant nine-colored streams appeared, circling his body and helping him stabilize his injuries.

Lei Jun’s gaze swept past Ongqinfu and Angge Aseer.

A typical Ninth Heaven cultivator—even one at the peak using the Three Radiances Mist—could never replicate a blade like Ongqinfu’s.

Only those with exceptional perception could do so.

Just like Tang Xiaotang once recreated the Great Wisdom Blade of Vajra Lord Jialuotu at Ninth Heaven layer two.

Or Xu Yuanzhen replicating Huang Xuanpu’s Scarlet Glow Essence at layer three.

Now, aside from the nine-colored radiance healing him, Lei Jun was actively channeling Solitary Aspect Water into his body to suppress the residual rampant blade intent.

In his chest, the Star of Infinite Yin-Yang condensed and flickered, helping his Dual Aspect Immortal Body rapidly recover its power.

As the temporary Dao scene created by the Yellow Springs faded, the nine-colored streams and Solitary Aspect Water slowly dissipated too.

But Lei Jun had already stabilized his condition.

And then—

The Pure Yang Thunder Dragon, Pure Yin Thunder Dragon, Yang Thunder Dragon, and Yin Thunder Dragon all reappeared.

Though the Immortal Talisman of the Nine Heavens Celestial Capital had been damaged, and Immortal Capital Mountain was no longer visible for now, Lei Jun had a spare:

The Nine Heavens Jade Pivot Talisman.

Green jade-colored Jade Pivot Immortal Thunder surged, manifesting as a towering celestial thunder pillar stretching through the heavens.

Among the swirling stars, the form of the Doumu Spirit Marshal reappeared, re-channeling the other faction’s Five Thunder Gods of the Nine Heavens Response Principle.

What remained constant was the return of the Thunder Emperor’s True Form.

Ongqinfu had just charged out of the Yellow Springs deluge when he saw Lei Jun standing tall again, wielding the Falling Sky Whip—which came crashing down without hesitation!

Ongqinfu's entire body convulsed violently. All the wounds he had suffered burst open at once, blood spraying in all directions.

The Shangqing Yuchen Immortal Bamboo struck down again, stunning his mind just as Lei Jun’s Primordial Magnet Flying Sword shot forth once more.

This time, every strike drew blood.

The injuries accumulated—and finally, Ongqinfu's massive frame began to falter.

He launched a desperate counterattack.

But Lei Jun vanished in a flash, dodging the blade and slamming the iron whip down hard.

Unlike before—this time, Ongqinfu's head exploded, blood erupting skyward!

His body swayed in place, refusing to fall.

But his flesh, covered in wounds, now spewed not just black curse energy, but massive clouds of gray mist.

Aside from his own shamanic curse power, the overwhelming nether death aura of Yellow Springs rapidly rotted his Martial Immortal body—turning flesh to gray ash.

Once, this was the man whose iron cavalry crushed mountains and rivers, who led armies to conquer the Song Dynasty.

Now, Golden Khan Ongqinfu could barely see. His vision swam.

Yet he stubbornly turned his head, searching for Lei Jun’s figure one last time.

“No need to thank me,” Lei Jun said, raising his hand.

The Thunder Emperor cracked the whip.

Ongqinfu’s head was utterly obliterated.