Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 88: They will even thank us!

Lei Jun watched as the Fang siblings disappeared toward the direction of the Eight Desolation Blood Cavern, then withdrew his gaze, no longer paying them any attention.

He turned and entered the Eight Desolation Blood River Formation. After he had blasted part of the rock layers, the blood water had been largely drained. Not only did this ease the plight of Xia Qing and the others trapped in the formation, but it also gave Luo Haoran, who was busy sealing the fissure, some relief.

When Lei Jun appeared, the other disciples rejoiced, “Junior Brother Lei!”

“Be careful, everyone.” In front of the crowd, Lei Jun applied a Mid-Grade Wind Talisman and activated a Mid-Grade Golden Barrier Talisman. He carefully crossed the blood river and rescued Xia Qing and the others one by one.

“Junior Brother Lei, be cautious; there might be Blood River Sect cultivators lurking nearby,” one Tianshi Mansion disciple warned. “Our entrapment in this massive Blood River Formation is suspicious. It may not be a coincidence; we could have been set up by those demonic cultivators!”

Lei Jun nodded. “Senior Brother is right. We should all stay alert.”

If his guess was correct, the supposed Blood River Sect cultivators who trapped Xia Qing and the others were likely the Fang siblings. Luo Haoran had arrived first to block the blood water. When the Fang siblings discovered him, they trapped Xia Qing and the others, putting Luo Haoran in a moral bind while planting seeds of discord between Elder Hongyu and the external disciples of the Mansion.

After rescuing the others, Lei Jun lent a hand to Luo Haoran. Luo Haoran, still shaken, said, “Junior Brother Lei, thank goodness you arrived in time, or I… I really would have…”

“Senior Brother Luo, no need to be so polite. As long as everyone is safe, that’s what matters.” Lei Jun helped Luo Haoran seal the blood water.

Now that the Eight Desolation Blood River Formation had been weakened significantly, the combined effort of the two made it easier to block the blood from seeping to the surface.

Although Xia Qing and the others were rescued, their condition was dire. Their willpower and mana were nearly exhausted. Xia Qing, in particular, was as unlucky as Elder Du. After being ambushed by Zhong Yunfei of the Tianxu Sect earlier, she had just recovered, only to face another calamity.

As one of the main defenders against the Eight Desolation Blood River Formation, her mana was nearly depleted, and she was on the verge of passing out. The other Tianshi Mansion disciples focused on recovering their energy and caring for Xia Qing, leaving no one to help Luo Haoran.

Lei Jun observed quietly. Some genuinely lacked the strength to help, while others harbored resentment toward Luo Haoran for his earlier hesitation but dared not voice it.

Meanwhile, everyone expressed their gratitude toward Lei Jun profusely. Lei Jun remained humble and didn’t take credit.

For Luo Haoran and Xia Qing, the Eight Desolation Blood River Formation was perilous. But for Lei Jun, it wasn’t as dangerous. That’s why, during his fortune-telling, this place had shown a Moderate Omen.

The slight regret was that the Moderate Omen mentioned a Seventh-Grade Opportunity here. But Lei Jun had arrived too late. He now understood the situation: the enhanced Blood River Formation could produce a treasure called the Withered Blood Stone. This stone sacrificed vital energy to nourish a cultivator’s soul.

If he had arrived before the Blood Sea Tide surged back into the river, he could have obtained the Withered Blood Stone. But Luo Haoran had been too busy plugging the leak to collect the treasure. When the Blood Sea surged, the Eight Desolation Blood River Formation went haywire, destroying the Withered Blood Stone.

Lei Jun’s trip to the Blood Sea meant giving up on the Withered Blood Stone. But he didn’t mind. With the Black Bear King’s Gallbladder nourishing his vital energy, he had no need to exchange vital energy for soul nourishment. Moreover, unlike the Blood River Sect cultivators, he had no interest in slaughtering others to plunder their vital energy.

Besides, his trip to the Blood Sea yielded the superior Nine Saints Frost.

“This massive Blood River Formation is finally weakening. Let’s dismantle it together and leave as soon as possible,” Lei Jun suggested.

Although he was the latest to be initiated into the Mansion, Luo Haoran and the others, having regained some energy, nodded and agreed with Lei Jun’s decision.

The group worked together to suppress the weakened formation.

“Boom!!”

As they were busy, a loud explosion echoed from afar, shaking the underground cave violently again!

“What’s happening?!” The Tianshi Mansion disciples tensed up.

Lei Jun feigned surprise and looked toward the source of the disturbance, quickly deducing the situation: the direction of the Eight Desolation Blood Cavern…

Though he had a rough idea of what was happening, he remained cautious about the extent of the disaster. He reminded his fellow disciples to stay alert.

Soon, a torrent of blood erupted from the cavern, redirecting the Blood River back into the cave. Fortunately, the surging currents canceled each other out, reducing the threat.

Lei Jun and the others held off the torrent, preventing further havoc. After a while, the Blood River calmed down slightly.

They dismantled the formation and began to find a way out.

After the Blood Sea erupted again and the Eight Desolation Blood Cavern collapsed, many underground rock layers gave way, causing sections of the labyrinth to collapse to the surface. Thankfully, the cracks appeared in remote mountains and hills.

Lei Jun and Luo Haoran’s efforts paid off, sparing the nearby village from devastation. Though a minor earthquake caused panic, there were no significant casualties. Villagers saw a cloud of dust and distant hills sinking, forming what appeared to be a lake. But the lake’s color was… off.

As the sun rose, the lake shimmered gold and red.

Lei Jun and the others, closer to the scene, climbed to the surface and saw a Blood Lake. Though the Blood Sea had receded, a vast amount of polluted blood remained. Small Blood Rivers extended from the lake.

Lei Jun shaded his eyes, scanning the scene. Tianshi Mansion disciples gathered at the lake’s edge, while Blood River Sect disciples who escaped looked pale and grim.

In the lake’s center, a whirlpool spun, drawing blood into its depths. Lei Jun realized that the collapse of the Eight Desolation Blood Cavern had caused this.

He noticed someone trapped in the whirlpool—it wasn’t the Fang siblings, but Fang Jian.

Did Fang Jian get caught while trying to save his cousins? Lei Jun wondered. Judging by the siblings' earlier conversation, Fang Jian hadn’t been involved in their schemes.

Seeing his fellow disciples still bewildered, Lei Jun swiftly took action. Empowered by the Wind Talisman, he soared above the whirlpool to rescue Fang Jian.

Others soon followed his lead, and some Fang clan members rushed to help. Together, they pulled the bedraggled Fang Jian to safety.

“Thank you, everyone,” Fang Jian said weakly, glancing at Lei Jun with gratitude.

Some Fang clan members recognized Lei Jun and thanked him.

Lei Jun smiled, “No need for thanks. Senior Brother Fang is my fellow disciple; how could I stand by and do nothing?”

“Where are Sixteenth Sister and Mingyuan?” someone asked.

Fang Jian sighed, “I couldn’t save them…”

The crowd gasped in shock. Some turned to the Blood Lake, watching the whirlpool shrink and vanish.

“No one wanted this to happen. Don’t blame yourself, Senior Brother Fang,” Lei Jun said.

Fang Jian shook his head, “Thank you, Junior Brother Lei, but I’ve failed my uncle and aunt…”

Lei Jun recited a prayer for the departed, joined by Fang Jian and the others.

Even the Fang clan members looked at Lei Jun with newfound warmth.

But their mourning was short-lived. The morning sky turned red as a Blood Cloud approached.

The disciples feared a Blood River Sect attack, but the cloud flew past, seemingly fleeing.

A streak of light chased the cloud, striking it and scattering it into burning droplets.

The remaining cloud fled, and a cloud carriage appeared, carrying a woman with a bow.

“Aunt?” Fang Jian exclaimed.

Lei Jun recognized her as the Chu clan prodigy.

“Zhongjian? You look terrible,” Chu Yu remarked.

Fang Jian explained the situation, and Chu Yu searched the Blood Lake but found no bodies.

Handing a keepsake box to Fang Jian, she sighed.

Soon, Elder Du and the remaining disciples arrived, their expressions heavy.

“Let’s clean up this mess and move forward,” Elder Du said.

With the Blood River Sect blamed, Tianshi Mansion could consider this a victory, but the war continued.

Lei Jun returned to his residence, bathed, and began refining the Nine SaintsFrost.

This treasure would soon help him reach the Third-Tier Altar stage faster than ever.

He smiled. Step by step, upward I go.

With the Nine Saints Frost aiding his cultivation, Lei Jun felt confident about his progress toward the Third-Tier Altar. His comprehension had already reached the Illuminated level, which significantly reduced the time required to cultivate at the Third Heaven Altar Stage.

Additionally, his experiences in the True-One Altar’s Grotto-Heaven had further honed his insights. With the Nine Saints Frost, his cultivation speed was set to accelerate even more.

Reflecting on his rapid progress, Lei Jun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. It almost feels too fast…

But he quickly dismissed any hesitation. In cultivation, the earlier and faster one progresses, the greater the potential to reach higher realms. One step ahead means staying ahead.

He took a deep breath to stabilize his mind and began refining the Nine Saints Frost. His decision was swift, but his actions were meticulous.

As he integrated the frost into his Dao Foundation Altar, he felt his entire being — body, energy, and spirit — become purer and more refined. Above the second-tier Octagonal Altar, the outline of a Round Altar gradually took shape.

Satisfied, Lei Jun nodded.

Still, he was cautious. According to the Supreme Good Omen he had drawn, the Nine Saints Frost, a Fourth-Grade Opportunity, held potential beyond aiding his current cultivation. While he hadn’t yet discovered its other uses, he chose to refine only half of it. The rest he would reserve for consultation with Yuan Mobai, Xu Yuanzhen, and Tang Xiaotang once they returned to the mountain.

Over the next few days, Lei Jun dedicated himself to cultivation. But as time passed, a sense of unease crept in again.

This feeling didn’t come from within him but from the True-One Altar’s Grotto-Heaven.

At first, he thought someone might be trying to open a passage to the grotto-heaven, as had happened before. But soon, he realized this wasn’t the case. The disturbance came from the True-One Altar’s Grotto-Heaven itself — or rather, from the Tianshi Seal!

The Tianshi Seal still lingered around Mount Longhu, hidden deep within the spiritual veins of the surrounding mountains. Now, it was stirring once more.

Is this because of the recent eruption of the Blood Sea? Lei Jun speculated.

Previously, the Tianshi Seal had returned to the vicinity of Mount Longhu due to the intense battles there. Though it had briefly revealed itself, it had remained hidden beneath the mountain’s spiritual veins. The Blood River Sect’s creation of the Blood Sea had tainted the spiritual veins, prompting the Tianshi Seal to react once again.

Will the Tianshi Seal finally re-emerge this time?