Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 94: The altar has three levels, and the three heavens are complete.

After the Taoist Master Taiping retreated, Second Martial Uncle Li Hongyu quickly returned to Mount Longhu. Along with her came more detailed news.

Elder Yu Qingling of the Yellow Heaven Sect and the Taoist Master Taiping had joined forces, but they were still no match for Xu Yuanzhen and Li Hongyu. In the end, Yu Qingling perished, and Taoist Master Taiping fled.

Xu Yuanzhen and Li Hongyu separated into two groups. Xu Yuanzhen continued trying to pursue Taoist Master Taiping, while Li Hongyu returned to the mountain to clean up other members of the Yellow Heaven Sect. In the end, the Yellow Heaven Sect was thoroughly defeated.

However, Li Hongyu was not in a good mood at all. Upon learning that the Tianshi Sword had been lost, the Li family found themselves with an unsolvable mess. The main force of the Yellow Heaven Sect, which had been opposing the Tianshi Mansion, had retreated. The experts from the Southern Wasteland Witch Sect near Mount Longhu also began to flee one by one.

Although the Yin Mountain Cavern and the Blood River Sect were sacred sites of the Witch Sect’s Gu techniques and Blood River lineage, this time, it wasn’t a direct confrontation between the two sacred sites and the Tianshi Mansion. It was the personal actions of some cultivators from the Yin Mountain Cavern and Blood River Sect.

Now, seeing there was no opportunity to take advantage of the chaos, they naturally wouldn’t stay to cover for the Yellow Heaven Sect.

If it were the usual temperament of Tang Xiaotang, she would likely pursue them all the way to the Southern Wasteland. But this time, she, along with Yuan Mobai, immediately returned to Mount Longhu. Both received the news about the lost Tianshi Sword.

"What is Junior Brother Li doing?!" the tall woman was furious. "A guaranteed win, and he still managed to lose the Tianshi Sword? It's laughable!"

Yuan Mobai remained relatively calm, though his expression was uncharacteristically serious, without a smile: "The Yellow Heaven Sect, from our own faction, and Yu Qingling was once an elder of our sect, making them different from other external enemies. For many years, the Yellow Heaven Sect has been focused on this side, and their schemes are difficult for us to predict."

A few years ago, the Breaking Gold Talisman, which could counter the Golden Barrier Talisman, was an example. However, the Golden Barrier Talisman was a basic spiritual talisman, and its issues were quickly resolved by the Tianshi Mansion. Compared to the issue with the Tianshi Sword, it was a minor matter.

"Master, the Mistress of the Moon Pavilion is still waiting outside the mountain," reported Wang Guiyuan.

It was awkward for Chu Yu as well. When the Tianshi Sword was lost, she had been right there. Although this incident had nothing to do with her, and she was caught off guard, she had been involved in the earlier contest for the Tianshi Seal.

To be fair, the anger had been directed at her, and she ended up getting blamed. Though she had not gained anything, she was caught in the mess.

She didn't leave though. Even though it was awkward with the Tianshi Mansion, she stayed and apologized.

"The Tianshi Seal was lost by our sect first," Yuan Mobai continued. "Naturally, the Chu Clan had some thoughts. But, as long as Mistress Chu came personally to Mount Longhu, it allowed the others to consider the Chu Clan’s stance, so our sect could focus on battling the Yellow Heaven Sect and experts from the Southern Wasteland."

Yuan Mobai rose: "The loss of the Tianshi Sword was not caused by Mistress Chu."

The other high-ranking elders in the mansion were all anxiously searching for the Tianshi Sword, so Yuan Mobai stepped in to entertain Chu Yu.

"Why be so courteous to that woman?" Tang Xiaotang puffed up her cheeks.

Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan exchanged glances, then both sighed softly. If Chu Yu had directly caused the loss of the Tianshi Sword, Yuan Mobai certainly wouldn’t have been so courteous. But since it wasn’t, Yuan Mobai’s meaning was obvious.

The current Tianshi, Li Qingfeng, had fallen, and the Tianshi Sword was lost. It was a time of many troubles, and they couldn’t afford to make more enemies, especially with a large force like the Suzhou Chu Clan. To some extent, they could even consider them a rare ally.

Although this ally was also scheming, making them feel uncomfortable...

Yuan Mobai rarely acted based on personal feelings, whether it was his temperament or experience. Since they didn’t want to create more enemies, he wouldn’t treat Chu Yu rudely.

Tang Xiaotang’s anger came quickly and left quickly. After a moment, her attention shifted elsewhere. "Lei Jun, it hasn’t been that long, but you seem different from before."

Lei Jun: "What’s different?"

Tang Xiaotang furrowed her brow. "It’s hard to say, but I definitely feel like something’s off. It’s not like you’ve been possessed or subjected to some evil spirit manipulation…"

It seemed that after leaving the back mountain’s ancestral tomb forbidden area, when facing the high-ranking elders of the Tianshi Mansion, the other party may have noticed something off. Lei Jun’s earlier guess was validated.

However, this was mainly because Tang Xiaotang had interacted with him more, so she could sense the difference. If it had been people like Li Zhengxuan or Li Ziyang, they probably wouldn’t have noticed anything.

But caution was still necessary. The perceptiveness of cultivators from the Upper Heavens was truly sharp.

Back when Lei Jun was in the Daoist Children’s Academy, carrying the essence of Purple-Gold Lingzhi and Dragon Horse Scales, Xu Yuanzhen had seen through it. However, that was also because his cultivation at the time was still shallow.

As his cultivation deepened, even Tang Xiaotang would find it hard to detect his connection with the Tianshi Seal.

It made Lei Jun wonder whether the secret of Chen Yi had been kept from his master, Elder Yao...

He shook his head, pulling himself back from those thoughts. Facing Tang Xiaotang, after thinking for a moment, he didn’t answer her and instead asked, "Junior Sister, now that both the Tianshi Seal and Tianshi Sword are missing, if you had the chance to search, which one would you go after first?"

Tang Xiaotang raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Of course, I’d want both!"

Lei Jun: "I meant, if you had to choose?"

Tang Xiaotang looked up at the sky and thought seriously for a moment. "Then it would be the Tianshi Sword."

Lei Jun: "Instinct?"

Tang Xiaotang: "Not exactly. First, I prefer the Tianshi Sword's killing power. Second, if I find the Tianshi Sword after Junior Brother Li lost it, it’ll show my skills!"

Lei Jun: "But if you get the Tianshi Seal, you can practice Thunder Law Talismanic Canons."

"Hehe, I’m not particularly interested in Thunder Law Talismanic Canons."

Tang Xiaotang suddenly smiled mysteriously. "Our sect's Thunder Law is certainly powerful, but who knows? Maybe one day I’ll create an even more powerful Thunder Law. My own Thunder Law abilities!"

Lei Jun leaned back slightly, looking her over. He actually believed her when she claimed she could do this.

But judging by her personality, he was a little surprised that she would say such a thing. Based on his previous understanding of Tang Xiaotang, this proud girl would have thought, "If you offer me something, I can choose not to take it, but you shouldn’t hide it from me and prevent me from even having the chance to take it..."

"Of course, if I could take a look at the Tianshi Law Talismanic Canons, I wouldn’t refuse," Tang Xiaotang added casually.

Lei Jun nodded, then asked, "What if someone else from our sect gets to the Tianshi Seal or Sword before you?"

Tang Xiaotang: "Then they’re skilled. I wouldn’t fight with my fellow disciples for things. But they better keep an eye on their treasures. If they lose them again, I won’t be polite. What I get, I keep. Don’t expect me to return it."

She hadn’t fully realized what she had said until that moment, suddenly stunned.

She turned abruptly to face Lei Jun, eyes wide.

Lei Jun shrugged and looked toward another direction. "Master."

Yuan Mobai had just entered, shaking his head with a smile. "I once admired Junior Nephew Xu Yuanzhen’s great fortune, but now it seems you’re no less fortunate."

Lei Jun: "It’s not that the disciple intended to hide anything, it’s just that I feel like I’m in a dream, everything feels unreal."

Tang Xiaotang stared at Lei Jun for a long while, before finally saying, "The Seal or the Sword?"

Lei Jun: "The Seal."

The tall woman stood up, turned around twice, and then stood still. "What kind of luck is this? I’ve always had others envy me, but this is the first time I envy someone else!"

Yuan Mobai’s serious expression faded, replaced by an even warmer smile than usual. "No matter what, the return of the Tianshi Seal to our sect is a great blessing."

Lei Jun: "I feel uneasy carrying such a precious item, especially since the Tianshi Seal doesn’t feel quite right."

Hearing this, both Tang Xiaotang and Yuan Mobai became interested.

The two then separated a strand of their spiritual power and tried to probe.

"The Tianshi Seal has merged with your soul. For now, I can’t separate it," Yuan Mobai murmured. "But, it should not pose a great risk to you. In fact, it may even help your cultivation."

Tang Xiaotang frowned. "There’s something tainting this treasure. It feels like the methods of the Southern Wasteland Witch Sect, but quite clever."

Yuan Mobai nodded. "It’s not surprising. Although the Witch Sect has had internal conflicts, its legacy is deep, and they often have unexpected methods. If it weren’t for this, Master Li wouldn’t have been suffering for years. Only now, when things have finally eased, has he been forced to take a risky gamble."

Tang Xiaotang suddenly smiled at Lei Jun. "Not feeling a bit too happy, are we? Don’t forget, even if you can't draw out the Three Realms True Canon, most of the power of the treasure is still beyond your reach right now."

"Is there a way?" Lei Jun asked.

"Focus on your cultivation," Tang Xiaotang said with a wise, older tone as she patted his shoulder. "You’re not far from the Yuanfu Stage. If you can reach the middle-level Heaven’s Realm, you might be able to open the first layer of the True-One Altar."

Lei Jun sighed in relief.

Yuan Mobai added, "As for cleansing the taint on the treasure, if there’s an opportunity later, we can head to the Southern Wasteland to find a way to purify it, but there's no rush."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "Let’s keep this matter quiet for now."

Lei Jun nodded silently.

Yuan Mobai and Tang Xiaotang mentioned that the Tianshi Seal was now fused with his soul, meaning regular methods couldn’t separate them without harming him. If someone didn’t care about his life, more extreme methods could be used...

"Zhonggui, the return of the Tianshi Seal to Mount Longhu brings me great relief," Yuan Mobai said with a sigh.

Lei Jun respectfully replied, "Lei Chongyun entered the mountain and immediately took refuge in the Three Treasures, forever becoming a disciple of the Dao Sect. Having been initiated into the mansion, I am forever a disciple of the Tianshi Mansion, breaking the bonds, and will forever be a disciple of my revered master."

Yuan Mobai smiled and nodded. "Soon, you’ll have one more thing to add to your record—your initiation as a Talismanic Disciple. You’ll be named in the Heavenly Court."

Lei Jun smiled at this, and nearby, a young Daoist apprentice seemed unhappy: "Junior Uncle, why are you two so in sync? Trying to make me jealous?"

The two laughed even more.

After a few jokes, Yuan Mobai pondered for a moment and then began the ritual, using his magic to cover Lei Jun’s soul. With this, even Tang Xiaotang could no longer detect anything unusual about him.

Both the mountain and its surroundings were full of commotion, but it seemed to have no relation to Lei Jun anymore. He chose to focus entirely on his cultivation once again.

Soon, Lei Jun’s Dao Foundation altar began to show the third layer.

The first layer: the square altar.

The second layer: the octagonal altar.

The third layer: the round altar.

At this moment, the third layer round altar was no longer a vague, shadowy image. It was fully formed, clear and distinct. The three layers of the altar were now complete, and it seemed as if Lei Jun’s internal world had become an independent universe.

Points of light began to glow, like countless stars, producing strange phenomena that rotated around the altar. This marked Lei Jun's achievement of the third-tier Altar Realm and the full completion of the Three Heavens cultivation stage!

After a period of nurturing and refining his internal energies, Lei Jun went to meet his revered master, Yuan Mobai. However, Yuan Mobai wasn’t there at the moment. But another piece of good news had arrived: Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen had finally returned to the mountain.