Chapter 169: Reaping the Benefits of Someone Else's Misfortune

Chapter 169: Reaping the Benefits of Someone Else's Misfortune

After chatting with Li Xuan and Li Kong for a while longer, Lei Jun bid them farewell and returned to his residence.

As he stepped through the door, he spotted a small ball of fur sitting in the courtyard, black and white fur intermingling, and two small eyes spinning with curiosity.

It was the panda cub he had brought back to the mountain.

When Lei Jun had left for the Xianliu Palace, he had left the cub behind due to the complex external environment and the critical stage the cub had reached in its cultivation.

Now, reunited, the cub had shrunk several sizes and was no longer as gigantic as a small elephant.

Standing on its hind legs, it barely reached a height of one meter.

However, its spiritual essence had far surpassed what it had been when Lei Jun had left the mountain.

Especially those eyes, they were now as lively as a human's, full of cunning intelligence.

Seeing Lei Jun appear at the door, the panda cub dropped the bamboo branch it had been munching on and scrambled to its feet, waddling over to greet him.

"Your cultivation has been quite effective, hasn't it?"

Lei Jun smiled and scooped up the much smaller cub.

The cub squirmed slightly in his arms.

Lei Jun's grip felt different now.

He stroked the cub's fur gently.

It was noticeably softer and smoother, no longer coarse and rough to the touch as it had been before.

Now, it felt more akin to petting a cat than a bear.

The cub, held securely in Lei Jun's embrace, allowed itself to be stroked several times without struggling to break free.

However, its bear-like face wore an extremely human-like expression, as if conveying a single message:

"You really are incorrigible..."

"Yes, your cultivation has indeed borne fruit," Lei Jun nodded in satisfaction. "Keep up the good work and don't slack off."

The cub, now a diminutive version of its former self, turned its head away, seemingly unable to meet Lei Jun's gaze.

"It's good that you're back, Senior Brother. Please encourage this little lazybones more often," came a voice from outside the courtyard. It was Lei Jun's junior disciple, Chu Kun.

He smiled and said, "This little guy is truly a genius, but he loves to slack off."

The panda cub, nestled in Lei Jun's arms, twisted its head away, looking somewhat guilty.

"Speaking of genius, your cultivation progress has been impressive, Junior Brother," Lei Jun said, turning to Chu Kun. "Even while I was away, I heard from fellow disciples that you have successfully crossed the heavenly tribulation between the second and third layers of the Daoist Talisman realm."

Earlier, when Zhou Zihang and the others traveled between Dragon and Tiger Mountain and Xianliu Mountain, they had shared some related news with Lei Jun.

Lei Jun had also heard about it from his master, Yuan Mobai.

Not long ago, Chu Kun had successfully crossed the heavenly tribulation and attained the third layer of the Daoist Talisman realm, the Fatan realm.

Counting the years, it had been almost six years since Chu Kun had formally entered the TianShi Mansion and became a disciple of Master Yuan Mobai.

Crossing two heavenly tribulations in succession and successfully establishing his foundation, he had now reached the Fatan realm.

Such speed, even within the top-tier powers like the TianShi Mansion and the Chu clan, was rare.

Among the new true disciples of the TianShi Mansion in recent years, only Lei Jun's speed surpassed his, with Chen Yi coming close.

The others lagged behind.

In fact, even Chen Yi, around the same time, was still hovering at the perfection stage of foundation establishment, preparing to face the heavenly tribulation.

While the revival of spiritual energy in the world had accelerated the progress of young cultivators, Chu Kun's achievements were still commendable.

"It's just luck, Senior Brother. Just some good fortune that may not last. I might not be so lucky in the future," Chu Kun said humbly.

He looked at Lei Jun and continued, "Speaking of which, I have to thank you for the Spirit Base Vine, and also for allowing me to observe your heavenly tribulation. It was incredibly beneficial to me."

Even though they had faced different tribulations, the experience of witnessing Lei Jun's tribulation had been invaluable to Chu Kun.

"There are two old sayings in the cultivation world," Lei Jun said, motioning for Chu Kun to take a seat. "The first is that when one encounters good fortune repeatedly, it is no longer mere coincidence. The second is that even if it is all coincidence, having deep blessings and opportunities is, in itself, a great fortune for a cultivator."

He glanced at Chu Kun.

Even with various fortuitous encounters, for his junior disciple to advance so quickly, his innate talent and endowment must be exceptional.

According to the experiences summarized by predecessors, Chu Kun likely possessed a combination of excellent spiritual roots and superior perception, granting him an extraordinary capacity for insight and comprehension.

He might even possess a sacred body or an exceptionally clear perception.

Of course, with the revival of spiritual energy favoring cultivators' progress, the experiences of the past may no longer hold as true, serving only as a reference.

"Has Senior Brother Li also emerged from seclusion?" Lei Jun asked.

Generally, within the TianShi Mansion, the term "Senior Brother Li" in recent years had become an exclusive title referring to Li Zhengxuan.

However, in recent times, Lei Jun and his fellow disciples had started using the term more frequently to address Wang Guyuan as Senior Brother.

Chu Kun nodded. "He mentioned coming to visit you earlier, but something sudden came up, and he was called away."

He explained, "An envoy from Prince Wu's palace visited our sect to meet with the Master, and he requested Senior Brother Wang's presence as well."

As the two chatted, Wang Guyuan arrived at the door, looking slightly troubled.

"What new scheme is Prince Wu cooking up now?" Lei Jun and Chu Kun rose to greet him.

Wang Guyuan forced a smile. "He wants to recruit me as an advisor to his royal court."

Lei Jun and Chu Kun exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Of course, Wang Guyuan could refuse.

The envoy from Prince Wu wouldn't dare try to forcibly take him away from Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

"I suspect he'll take the initiative to spread the news himself."

"Prince Wu is truly admirable in his willingness to associate with the talented and virtuous. He holds Senior Brother Yuan, Master Mo, and his disciple in high esteem."

"Although he has repeatedly encountered setbacks with Senior Brother Yuan and Master Mo, as long as Prince Wu maintains this stance and hypes up the news, it will be enough."

"His situation is becoming increasingly difficult. It's no longer a matter of simply keeping a low profile and acting with caution to resolve the issue."

Lei Jun speculated, "I have a feeling that he's planning something big soon..."

Connecting this to the previous incident of the White Lotus Sect's uprising in Huai Mountain, which was also related to Prince Wu, it seemed that the prince's actions had become more and more impulsive in recent years.

It was as if he was a cornered beast, lashing out in desperation.

"Whether it succeeds or not, Senior Brother will become famous this time." Chu Kun looked at his senior brother with a hint of sympathy. "Prince Wu himself is helping to build up the hype."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

His gaze shifted between Lei Jun and Chu Kun, and he sighed, "It's not just Prince Wu, but also you two monsters."

Lei Jun, needless to say.

Ever since Chu Kun had cultivated the Triple Heaven Law Altar realm earlier this year, he had gradually begun to attract attention within and outside the TianShi Mansion.

Coming from the Chu family in Suzhou and then joining the TianShi Mansion on Dragon and Tiger Mountain to study the Dao, it was only natural that he would attract attention as soon as he showed some progress. Moreover, this attention wasn't just coming from the Chu family.

It was rare for Master Yuan Mo to take on disciples.

So, when his disciples achieved remarkable results, it was hard for others not to take notice.

As a result, Wang Guyuan, who usually kept a low profile, also attracted outside attention.

In a sense, he was even highlighted by Lei Jun and Chu Kun.

Some people thought that out of Master Yuan Mo's three disciples, two had become outstanding, which was already quite remarkable, and it was normal for the other relatively mediocre one.

But there were also those who felt that Master Yuan Mo wouldn't make a mistake in his judgment, and the seemingly low-key senior disciple might also have extraordinary abilities.

Where there was discussion, there was popularity.

Coupled with Prince Wu's special attention, Wang Guyuan had also become a little famous recently, much to his own dismay.

"I'm flattered, but you give me too much credit, Senior Brother," Lei Jun said, his expression unchanged.

Chu Kun lowered his head to look at his feet, feigning indifference.

Wang Guyuan looked at the two unperturbed men in front of him and shook his head helplessly.

Lei Jun stroked the fur of the panda cub in his arms a few more times before putting it down, then asked, "Senior Brother, is Master free now?"

Wang Guyuan replied, "He's back at the mansion. You can go there directly."

Lei Jun nodded. "Li Xuan Senior Brother has returned to the mountain and would like to meet with Master."

Wang Guyuan sighed. "It's a time of troubles, and the storm is about to arrive."

After bidding farewell to his two junior brothers, Lei Jun went to see his master, Yuan Mo.

"It's rare for Senior Brother Li Xuan to return, so of course, we should meet," Yuan Mo said calmly. "Tomorrow morning, I'll wait for him at the Gao Gong Pavilion."

"Yes, Master," Lei Jun replied.

Yuan Mo continued, "As for Xiaotang, I've already made arrangements. You don't have to worry about her safety for now, but whether she can overcome the heavenly tribulation depends on her."

After saying this, he stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the frost-covered branches in the depths of winter, lost in thought.

Lei Jun stood quietly behind Yuan Mo, not disturbing him.

"Third Uncle-Master, Third Senior Brother... they have finally crossed that line."

After a long while, Yuan Mo slowly spoke, "What was bound to come, will come."

Lei Jun nodded silently.

Although Li Song and Li Ziyang had not mentioned a word about Tang Xiaotang to the outside world, Lei Jun and his disciple knew that they had gone to find Tang Xiaotang earlier.

They had even leaked information to Tang Xiaotang's rival, Elder Tian Linlong of the Yinshan Grotto in the South Wilderness, both to gain an extra helper and to find someone to blame afterward.

In the end, they hadn't even found which direction Tang Xiaotang's closed-door meditation cave was facing.

But as Yuan Mo had said, the Li family had finally taken that first step.

More than a hundred years ago, the TianShi Mansion had undergone two internal strife incidents.

In the hundred years that followed, there had been constant ups and downs and disputes, but somehow, everyone had managed to maintain a delicate balance without completely falling out.

However, just like the recent turmoil in Shu Mountain, when conflicts, suspicions, and disputes accumulated to a certain extent, there would inevitably be a decisive showdown.

Perhaps the direct trigger would be something very simple and even insignificant.

But once everything was ignited, the situation would be beyond the control of one or two people.

If Tang Xiaotang perished under the heavenly tribulation, then so be it.

But if she succeeded in advancing to the Eighth Heaven realm, then after returning to the mountain, not only Lei Jun but even Yuan Mo himself would not deliberately hide it from the Li family.

Yuan Mo did not want to see the TianShi Mansion fall into internal strife again.

But since the Li family had already taken the first step, the curtain of the great battle was destined to be raised.

With Tang Xiaotang's temperament, there was no room for patience or waiting.

Knowing that Li Song and Li Ziyang had prepared a "gift" for her during her closed-door meditation, she wouldn't be Tang Xiaotang if she didn't retaliate.

"Master..." Lei Jun looked at Yuan Mo's back.

Yuan Mo turned around, his expression calm once again, and he even smiled, "Actually, it's not that unexpected."

Seeing this, Lei Jun didn't say more and changed the subject, "It's just that we don't know who will be faster, Little Sister or Second Uncle-Master."

Yuan Mo nodded slightly, "Indeed."

The purple-robed youth walked a few steps and sat back down, "Since this showdown is inevitable, we can only accept it calmly. When internal worries arise, we must also guard against external threats to avoid being beset by both."

Upon hearing this, Lei Jun fell into deep thought.

Yuan Mobai continued, "The Blood River Sect is active again, and we must be vigilant. Not only in Bashu, but also in Huai Mountain, there have been traces of descendants of the Blood River lineage."

"Yes, disciple will keep your teachings in mind," Lei Jun replied.

Yuan Mobai continued, "And then, there's the Yellow Heaven Dao..."

"In recent years, there has been little news about the Yellow Heaven Dao," Lei Jun remarked.

About six years ago, the Yellow Heaven Dao suffered a crushing defeat. The Grand Elder, Yu Qing, perished, and the sect leader, Taiping, was severely injured, with numerous casualties among their disciples.

In the following years, there has been little news about the Yellow Heaven Dao.

After the TianShi Mansion stabilized, they continued to hunt down and apprehend the Yellow Heaven Dao disciples, but with limited success.

Based on past experience, it seemed that the Yellow Heaven Dao had gone underground once more, adopting an even more cautious and low-key approach to restore their strength and regroup.

"After the disappearance of Yuan Zhen, and the news of Second Senior Sister and Xiaotang's seclusion, there has been some activity from the Yellow Heaven Dao recently," Yuan Mobai said slowly.

"They must have sensed the rising killing intent on Dragon and Tiger Mountain as well," Lei Jun realized.

"In these past years, the Yellow Heaven Dao has been extremely secretive," Yuan Mobai said. "Even our sect is unaware of their internal changes. But since they are stirring again, they must be planning to take advantage of the chaos."

For cultivators, six years was a short time.

Even with the surging spiritual energy in the world, accelerating cultivation progress, six years was generally not enough for the badly wounded Yellow Heaven Dao to fully recover or make a dramatic transformation.

However, when things deviated from the norm, there was usually a reason.

"A hundred years is enough to change many things," Yuan Mobai said, looking at Lei Jun with a slight sigh. "To the Li family, perhaps we, like the Yellow Heaven Dao, are outsiders. But now, the TianShi Mansion is the TianShi Mansion, and the Yellow Heaven Dao is the Yellow Heaven Dao. Some relationships are just not that easy to repair or mend."

Lei Jun nodded slightly, understanding Yuan Mobai's meaning very well.

By saying that the TianShi Mansion was the TianShi Mansion, and the Yellow Heaven Dao was the Yellow Heaven Dao, Yuan Mobai was not referring to sectarianism.

Currently, the TianShi Mansion was indeed facing an internal conflict with the Li family.

At first glance, the external disciples of the TianShi Mansion and the Yellow Heaven Dao seemed to have a common enemy in the Li family, providing a basis for cooperation.

However, putting aside past grievances was not as simple as having a conversation.

It was not just a matter of entanglement between the Li family and the Yellow Heaven Dao over the past hundred years.

In these years, the TianShi Mansion as a whole had engaged in multiple large-scale battles and massacres against the Yellow Heaven Dao.

Not to mention the bloodshed and enmity during the civil war when the sect split, just in the past hundred years, both sides had their hands soaked in each other's blood.

You killed my master.

I killed your disciple.

Or perhaps the other way around.

If there were still a few people who maintained some semblance of camaraderie in the beginning, by now, it had mostly boiled down to a contest for orthodoxy and purging the sect.

Over the years, the two greatest enemies of the TianShi Mansion on Dragon and Tiger Mountain, who had the most contentious relationship, were the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou and the Yellow Heaven Dao.

Fortunately, Lei Jun had no close friends or family who had perished at the hands of the Yellow Heaven Dao.

But the number of Yellow Heaven Dao disciples who had died by his hand was not small...

Perhaps, after the Li family was no more, there might be a little room for a delicate turnaround.

But that would undoubtedly be a tortuous and lengthy process, fraught with unpredictable and unforeseen crises.

Not to mention the leaders of other top-tier powers, even if they didn't directly target the TianShi Mansion, they would most likely continue to secretly support the Yellow Heaven Dao, causing trouble for the TianShi Mansion, rather than standing by and watching the Daoist Talisman sect completely reunite.

"You don't need to worry about these things for now. You've just returned to the mountain, so take some time to rest," Yuan Mobai said with a smile. "Speaking of which, you've accumulated quite a bit of merit this time, and you should be able to enter the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave once more. Are you planning to go now or continue to accumulate merit?"

For TianShi Mansion disciples below the Six Heavens realm, the opportunity to enter the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave was extremely rare.

Lei Jun, for instance, had only entered it once when he first received his talisman.

Subsequently, he would need to accumulate merit and virtue to a certain extent before earning another chance.

However, due to his contributions in the recent battles, Yuan Mobai brought up this opportunity.

His merit did not come from his role in the Xianliu Palace or temporarily protecting Tang Xiaotang, which couldn't be publicized yet.

Lei Jun's merit lay in the fact that he had risked his life and attracted a Seventh Heaven realm Grand Scholar from the Lin Clan to break the rules and come to kill him in Xianliu Mountain.

As a result, it provided Yuan Mobai with an opportunity to eliminate one of the Lin Clan's upper realm experts.

Regardless of how confident Yuan Mobai was, the fact that Lei Jun acted as bait was undeniably risky in everyone's eyes.

Therefore, as a reward for his service, it was only right that Lei Jun be granted another chance to enter the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave.

"Perfect timing, as I do intend to pay a visit to the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave," Lei Jun replied.

Yuan Mobai nodded. "Prepare yourself, and you can set off at any time."

After bidding farewell to his master, Lei Jun returned to his residence.

He took some time to recuperate, allowing his essence, qi, and spirit to gradually reach their peak condition.

During this period, he heard that Li Xuan had visited Yuan Mobai twice.

However, Lei Jun did not inquire further about the specifics of their conversations.

But there were no further disturbances on the mountain.

However, the oppressive atmosphere of impending turmoil was becoming increasingly palpable, even to most of the younger disciples.

As usual, Lei Jun made his way to the summit of the main peak of Dragon and Tiger Mountain on the agreed-upon date.

The high-achieving elder in charge of opening the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave this time was Fourth Master Yao Yuan, who had kept a low profile in recent years. He calmly looked at the few disciples in front of him and said, "Make your respective preparations."

As it turned out, one of the people entering the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave this time was none other than Zhang Jingzhen.

Zhang Jingzhen was not only a cultivator at the Sixth Heaven of the Dao Sealing realm but also a direct disciple of the former Celestial Master. She had the opportunity to enter the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave at least once a year.

The first time Lei Jun entered the Cave, she had accompanied him, and now they had met again.

"It's quite a coincidence, isn't it, Lei Shidi?" Zhang Jingzhen smiled.

Lei Jun replied, "Yes, I'll have to trouble Zhang Shimei again this time."

"Not at all, we're all looking out for each other," Zhang Jingzhen said.

There were no disciples from the Lower Three Heavens on this trip, only a few who had reached the Middle Three Heavens. Everyone would take care of themselves, so there was no need for extra worry.

"Speaking of coincidences, it truly is mysterious."

Lei Jun looked towards another familiar face among the group, "Luoshixiong, please take care of me."

Luohuan smiled and said, "It's I who should be apologetic. I hope I won't trouble you and Zhang Shimei."

His situation was different from Lei Jun's and Zhang Jingzhen's, as he hadn't earned the opportunity to enter the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave by accumulating merit and virtue.

Every disciple who received their talisman for the first time would get one chance, and Luohuan was no exception.

However, he was special in that after receiving his talisman, he hadn't entered the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave with Fang Jian and Xia Qing, among others.

At that time, Luohuan immediately went into seclusion to bitterly cultivate and prepare for the tribulation between the Third and Fourth Heavens, a difficult hurdle.

After successfully forming his own yuanfu, he nurtured his spiritual power and familiarized himself with his body's changes. Not long after, he left the mountain to help the common folk with flood control.

He stayed outside the mountain for a while, and when the war between Dragon and Tiger Mountain and the Lin Clan of Jiangzhou broke out, Luohuan joined the battle at the outskirts of Poyang Marsh.

As a result, several years had passed, and he still hadn't used the opportunity he earned when he first received his talisman.

Now that the war at Poyang Marsh had subsided and after a period of rest, Luohuan finally returned to the mountain gate.

Finally settling down, he could make up for the opportunity he had missed earlier.

"We're all looking out for each other, and there's no trouble among fellow disciples," Lei Jun said as he looked up at the sky.

Purple lightning bolts descended from the sky, guided by the elders onto the mountains.

A huge talisman array appeared amidst the flickering lights in the mountains.

As the array activated, countless talismans danced in the air, carrying the purple lightning from the heavens.

"Third Master is healing, and while he's drawing the power of the Cave, it won't cause any major damage to the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave," Elder Yao said as he gazed into the distance at the falling lightning. "After you enter, just don't go near Biyu Immortal Mountain."

Lei Jun and the others nodded in agreement.

Li Song's attempt to capture Tang Xiaotang had failed, and he had lost several of his proud disciples, even returning injured himself.

The Heavenly Net had been exhausted, and he had no better way to determine Tang Xiaotang's exact location for the time being.

For now, he could only focus on healing his injuries.

Entering the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave for recuperation would be the most effective, but that would mean sealing himself off from the outside world and being cut off from information.

Therefore, Li Song chose the second-best option, drawing the spiritual power of the Cave to his own cave for healing and recuperation.

Lei Jun maintained a calm expression as Elder Yao performed the ritual to open the Cave's entrance, and then he entered the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave along with Zhang Jingzhen, Luohuan, and the others.

Inside the Cave, it was still a world of purple, and the entire place was filled with a celestial aura.

Everyone who entered this time had reached the Middle Three Heavens.

They greeted each other and then went their separate ways.

Lei Jun's goal this time was the bamboo forest.

However, after he entered the Upper Clarity Thunder Palace Cave, the glowing sphere in his mind suddenly flashed and displayed some words:

['Misfortune in the individual, blessing in the Cave, thunder shakes the heavens, an auspicious time.']



Lei Jun raised his eyebrows as he read these sixteen characters.

He then read the three fortunes that appeared next:

['Middle-upper fortune: Go to Guhong Peak at midnight and obtain a fourth-grade opportunity, no risk, no aftermath, auspicious.']



['Middle-upper fortune: Go to Shengbo Pool at midnight and obtain a fifth-grade opportunity, no risk, no aftermath, auspicious.']



['Middle-middle fortune: Travel elsewhere in the Cave or miss the midnight hour at Guhong Peak and Shengbo Pool, no extra gains, no extra risks, neutral.']



Well, two middle-upper fortunes.

And, there were no middle-lower or lower-lower fortunes.

Following the last time when three lower-lower fortunes appeared, indicating danger, this time the fortunes were indeed auspicious and filled with good luck.

However...

'Misfortune in the individual, blessing in the Cave.'

This probably meant that because Elder Li Song had encountered bad luck, he was now drawing on the power of the Cave to heal, inadvertently causing some changes in the Cave and giving rise to these two middle-upper fortunes... Lei Jun's expression turned strange.

PS: 6k chapter.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end