Seeking Fortune And Avoiding Calamity, Starting From The Heavenly Master's Mansion Chapter 212: Unity and Friendship, Bestowing Allies with "Opportunities" - Novel Cool

Chapter 212: Unity and Friendship, Bestowing Allies with "Opportunities"

Chapter 212: Unity and Friendship, Bestowing Allies with "Opportunities"

Within the True One Law Altar, Lei Jun listened quietly to the conversation between Shangguan Peng and the other man, his expression calm and unperturbed, with only a slight raise of his eyebrows.

The voice of the middle-aged military officer continued from the voice-carrying talisman, "According to the new Celestial Master's temperament, that is indeed possible. Even if she doesn't bring the Celestial Master's sword with her, she will definitely not be able to stay idle. However..."

He hesitated, but Shangguan Peng remained calm and said, "Of course, it must be the remnants of the previous dynasty or someone from the Blood River who makes a move. We must not get involved, or we will be ruining our own plans. But there are always some... coincidences in this world."

The middle-aged military officer understood his insinuation and said, "Just like how Blood River Sect's Xiong Gang coincidentally appeared at Lunan Valley, causing the Shu Mountain Sect to bear a deeper grudge against them."

Although he said this, the middle-aged military officer, who was also from the Shangguan clan, still had some worries: "General, protecting the Celestial Master's Mansion on Dragon and Tiger Mountain was originally the Emperor's will. Now that we haven't received any new orders from Her Majesty, will we..."

Shangguan Peng interrupted, "Things are different now than they were then. When Her Majesty first protected Dragon and Tiger Mountain, the remnants of the previous dynasty were not as rampant as they are today, trying to establish a new country and fortune in the Southern Wasteland. And Wei Ancheng of the Blood River Sect has not yet confirmed his ascension to the Ninth Heaven."

"Now that the situation has changed drastically, we must adapt to the circumstances. However, it is not easy to go against the Emperor's wishes. We must consider Her Majesty's intentions and alleviate her worries."

"As long as we act discreetly, we will have no connection to these events. Even if the truth comes out in the future, we will bear the blame for Her Majesty, as we should."

Lei Jun listened calmly, deep in thought. This seemed to make sense, but was it truly so...?

"General, you are right..." the middle-aged military officer whispered.

He took a deep breath and continued, "In recent years, both the Divine Strategy Army and the Shangguan clan have suffered heavy losses for the Tang Dynasty. While the Buddhist and Taoist sects have received much support, they have stayed in the background. Now it's time for them to contribute to the Tang Dynasty!"

"Why should my Shangguan clan always shed blood and sweat while the Buddhist and Taoist sects hide in the rear?" he thought. "If anyone deserves to recuperate, it should be us. Now is the time for the Buddhist and Taoist sects to take the lead."

"Otherwise, what was the point of supporting them in the first place?"

Lei Jun understood that these thoughts were not unique to just a few individuals but likely shared by a significant portion of the Shangguan clan and the Tang Dynasty's nobility.

However, whether it was truly to alleviate the Emperor's worries and do things that she could not easily say, as Shangguan Peng suggested, remained questionable. It was not certain who would end up bearing the blame.

It wasn't that the Empress would necessarily favor the Buddhist and Taoist sects, but her actions were indeed peculiar.

By establishing the new College of Divination, she was fundamentally shaking the foundations of the noble families. However, this also caused unease among the newly emerging noble families, who were originally the imperial family's base of support.

Especially after the recent consecutive battles, the noble families like the Shangguan clan had also suffered significant losses.

While the Shangguan clan's loyalty to the Tang Dynasty remained unwavering, they might have their own ideas when it came to the finer details.

"It's true that Dragon and Tiger Mountain has suffered a great calamity, but in these turbulent times, which sect isn't navigating through storms and waves?" Shangguan Peng said indifferently. "We have been preparing for this moment, and now is the time to work together to overcome these difficulties."

"Yes," replied the middle-aged military officer.

After a brief pause, he lowered his voice and said, "However, we currently have no idea where Lei Jun is, and Yuan Mobai is a high-level wizard. According to rumors, his strength surpasses that of He Dongxing of the Shu Mountain Sect..."

Shangguan Peng replied, "Accidents can happen anywhere. If everything goes according to plan, there would be no such thing as an accident. The key is to have enough accurate information... People are easily manipulated when they have desires."

Inside the True One Law Altar, Lei Jun lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand as he nodded slightly.

Although their positions were different, he mostly agreed with what they were saying.

The middle-aged military officer asked, "General, what should we do next...?"

Shangguan Peng replied, "We need to make preparations regarding the Celestial Master's Mansion. We also must not let up on the remnants of the previous dynasty. According to the latest information, you can head to Kongliu Mountain, where there might be a secret camp of the remnants."

After a brief pause, he added, "For a short period of time, stay away from the area around Silver Whistle Rock."

The middle-aged military officer was startled. "General..."

Shangguan Peng continued, "Yes, there is also a camp of the remnants at Silver Whistle Rock. But... although I cannot be completely certain yet, I have received information that Xiong Gang from the Blood River Sect might have gone there after leaving Lunan Valley."

Xiong Gang was an elder of the Blood River Sect with the cultivation base of the Eightfold Heaven Realm, and he was not someone that ordinary people could contend against. The middle-aged military officer was alarmed and said, "Yes, General. I will keep this secret and also restrain the others."

He suddenly remembered something and asked, "If the Shu Mountain Sect is sending people, what about Xiong Gang?"

After all, it was Xiong Gang who had killed Jiang Dongyu, the elder of the Shu Mountain Sect, during the battle at Lunan Valley.

Shangguan Peng replied, "We don't need to inform them about Xiong Gang's whereabouts for now."

The middle-aged military officer agreed, "Yes, General."

Although it was not explicitly stated, it was clear that Shangguan Peng wanted to wait and see how the situation with the Celestial Master's Mansion unfolded.

Although it was somewhat inappropriate to attribute the "accidents" of the Celestial Master's Mansion and Shushan to a single person, Xiong Gang, an elder of the Eighth Heaven, it was indeed difficult to grasp the whereabouts of such a highly skilled individual.

For now, Shangguan Peng could only try to extract as much value as possible from the situation.

"Although Yuan Mobai has attained the Upper Three Heavens, Xiong Gang would not be confident enough to guarantee his capture. Thus, the focus should still be on Lei Jun."

Shangguan Peng instructed, "Pass down the order to continue gathering information on Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun. Since they have come to the Southern Wasteland, they must have their motives and will not leave easily. If there's any news, report it to me immediately."

He himself planned to head toward Silver Whistle Rock to make some preparations.

"Yes, General," the middle-aged military officer obeyed.

Inside the True One Law Altar, Lei Jun listened as the voices from the voice-carrying talisman gradually faded away. Finally, he sat up.

He knelt in the dojo, his hands resting on his knees, a faint smile playing on his lips.

So that was it. The second lot that mentioned the opportunity and danger at Silver Whistle Rock was likely referring to Xiong Gang, the Eighth Heaven elder from the Blood River Sect.

He had to thank the revival of the Celestial Master's Seal; otherwise, the threat posed by an Eighth Heaven expert would never have been indicated by a drawn lot.

However, since the lot still foretold danger on this path, it suggested that hiding in the True One Law Altar and facing an Eighth Heaven opponent wasn't entirely safe. There was still a risk of being detected, ambushed, or trapped by the enemy.

But...

It seemed that General Shangguan wasn't very well-informed about the situation in the Zhaojing region.

Lei Jun left the True One Law Altar and made his way directly to the Zhaojing River basin.

Although he was curious about the fourth-grade opportunity at Kongliu Mountain, he decided to head to Zhaojing first.

Of course, he had no intention of going directly to the upper or lower reaches of the Zhaojing River. Instead, he headed for the middle section.

Lei Jun had no idea who was at Silver Whistle Rock or the upper and lower reaches of the Zhaojing River, but he knew that there was a sixth-grade opportunity at both the upper and lower reaches of the river.

Since Heaven had arranged it this way, it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

We are still, more or less, on the same side. You, General Shangguan, are an official representative, and I, a cultivator, have always been a model citizen, dutifully serving the empire and abiding by the law. Of course, I would never harm a high-ranking official of the court, nor would I cause infighting that would bring pain to those close to me and joy to my enemies.

Just as you, General Shangguan, wanted to treat me to a fifth-grade opportunity at Silver Whistle Rock, I, in return, will offer you a sixth-grade opportunity. This is what we call reciprocity and unity among friends.

Now, there's just a small technical problem—how to deliver this opportunity to General Shangguan?

If he really wanted to completely dissociate himself from the matter, Lei Jun could try to fake a transaction with Shen Quibing of the Tuesday Hall, using the pretext of exchanging messages between the Seven Halls.

It didn't matter what kind of information Shen Quibing gave him; the key was that he could "sell" information about himself or the Sui Dynasty descendant to Shen Quibing.

Then, through Shen Quibing, the information would reach Shangguan Peng.

However, doing so might end up hurting Shen Quibing regardless of the outcome on Shangguan Peng's end.

Lei Jun hadn't interacted much with Shen Quibing, but their encounters had been pleasant, and he didn't want to drag the other man into trouble.

If not through Shen Quibing, then he would have to deal with Shangguan Peng directly.

As General Shangguan himself said, it was human nature to have desires, and when those desires were known to others, it became easier for enemies to exploit them.

The entire Celestial Master's Mansion obviously had their desires, and they were no secret.

Even if Dragon and Tiger Mountain wasn't truly detached from worldly affairs, they still yearned to retrieve their lost sect treasures, even if they were at peace in other aspects.

To the world, these treasures were the Celestial Master's Seal and the Celestial Master's Robes.

Lei Jun and his master, Yuan Mobai, had left their seclusion and come to the Southern Wasteland for this very reason.

Their subsequent involvement in the disturbances caused by the descendants of the previous dynasty in the Jiuli Secret Realm, the Starlake Abyss, and White Spring Mountain was largely due to this pursuit, with some coincidences along the way.

If they heard any news about the Celestial Master's Robes along the way, they would definitely pay attention.

This was something that Yuan Mobai and Lei Jun had never hidden.

Therefore, they had their desires, and it was in this area that they could be lured into a trap.

Now, a problem arose.

General Shangguan, you also have your desires.

I desire clues related to the Celestial Master's Robes.

Your desire is to scheme against me.

In order to plot against me, what I desire is also what you desire. It would be convenient for you to get to me first if I get to what I want before you.

Then...

Lei Jun traveled alone and quietly arrived at the middle reaches of the Zhaojing River.

He didn't hurry to reveal himself but instead patiently observed and gathered information.

The influence of the several major Witch Clans in the Southern Wasteland was intertwined, and Lei Jun spent some time confirming that the area around him was under the control of the Yin Mountain Cave, a holy land for the Gu Worm technique.

While the Yin Mountain Cave was indeed at war with the Blood River Sect, as Lei Jun had previously learned, there was also internal strife within the Yin Mountain Cave.

The Gu Worm masters who controlled the Hongyun Cave in the middle reaches of the Zhaojing River were part of a branch that wasn't very friendly with the mainstream faction of the Yin Mountain Cave, and their attitude toward Wei Ancheng and the Blood River Sect was correspondingly ambiguous.

As fate would have it, this group of Gu-worm masters were acquaintances of Lei Jun and the Heavenly Master's Mansion. They were disciples of Elder Tian Linlong of Yanshan Cave.

After waiting for a while, Lei Jun saw some Gu-worm masters leaving the village and seized the opportunity to secretly wave his Xirang flag.

A stream of colorful light, glowing with nine different colors, was then cast into the turbulent Zhaojing River.

It was the nine-colored radiance that Lei Jun had mastered, associated with the Heavenly Master's Robes.

The nine-colored radiance floated and sank in the river, swiftly flowing downstream with the current.

However, the vibrant spiritual energy of the nine-colored radiance immediately caught the attention of the Gu-worm masters, who began pursuing it along the river.

Lei Jun remained calm and quietly took action, reclaiming the nine-colored radiance before they could get too close.

Subsequently, he revealed himself and intercepted several of the Gu-worm masters.

Among them was a rather peculiar Gu-worm master. Although his cultivation level was not high, he held an exquisite clay pot from which an unusual spiritual energy emanated.

As Lei Jun approached and saw the clay pot, he couldn't help but smile. "Is this my good luck, or your bad luck?"

Rolling thunder swept through, turning the young Gu-worm master and the clay pot into ashes. However, numerous Gu-worms flew out of the pot, including a beetle-like monster that instantly enlarged and emitted a brilliant light, shielding the other Gu-worms from harm.

The countless Gu-worms in the air then converged to form a gigantic, bizarre face that spoke in a human voice, "Lei the Ox-Nosed, is that you again?"

The face resembled that of Zhao Sen, a direct disciple of Tian Linlong.

Previously, in the mountain range of eastern Great Nan Mountain, Zhao Sen had fought against the Nan Putuo monk, Ru Yuan, and was beaten into a pile of bloody flesh and mud by Lei Jun.

Gu-worm masters focused on spiritual cultivation rather than physical bodies. Even though Zhao Sen's physical body was destroyed, he could still survive due to his advanced cultivation level.

However, since he had not yet reached the Upper Three Heavens realm, Lei Jun's blow, while not taking his life, had made Zhao Sen's subsequent cultivation journey extremely challenging.

With the help of his master, Tian Linlong, Zhao Sen barely stabilized his condition and transferred his soul into Gu-worms, slowly plotting his next move. He stayed in Hongyun Cave in the middle reaches of the Zhaojing River to cultivate, and his disciples usually carried the clay Gu-worm canister for him.

Who would have thought that they would cross paths with Lei Jun again today?

Lei Jun was merciless. He immediately threw out several spirit talismans in quick succession.

Back then, he had spared Zhao Sen's life to spread the news that he was in the eastern part of Great Nan Mountain.

Now, he revealed himself to spread the word that he was in the Zhaojing River basin. Thus, he would once again leave a survivor, but since there were other Gu-worm masters from Hongyun Cave present, there was no need to spare Zhao Sen this time. This trip would be an opportunity to clean up the loose ends from before.

When leaving a survivor, Lei Jun rarely used the unique spells he had created and instead relied more on the orthodox methods passed down by the Heavenly Master's Mansion.

Without a physical body, Zhao Sen escaped by scattering his Gu-worms in different directions, seemingly unafraid of Lei Jun chasing and striking each one down with his staff.

However, Daoist talisman practitioners were renowned for their adaptability, using different talismans to suit various battle situations.

Lei Jun did not use his large-area coverage spells like the Gui Water Yin Lei or the Ji Soil Yin Lei. Instead, he employed the famous Five Thunder Righteousness Talisman, the Thunderclap Talisman, and the Boundless Sea of Fire Talisman from the Heavenly Master's Mansion, wreaking havoc on the Gu-worms.

During his Yuan Fu and Dao Palace cultivation stages, Lei Jun had spent a lot of effort to refine the Yin-Yang Double Sha and the Yin-Yang Double Gang. As a result, the same spells in his hands were even more powerful than those used by his fellow disciples. Even the Five Thunder Righteousness Talisman and the Thunderclap Talisman, which were not his innate spells, were more effective when used by him.

Zhao Sen tried to struggle, but he was instantly blown to pieces by Lei Jun's attacks. The area was turned into a hellish inferno of thunder and fire, and none of the Gu-worm masters present could escape. They were all killed by Lei Jun's onslaught.

The remaining Gu-worm masters in Hongyun Cave watched from a distance, terrified, huddling together and shivering.

Lei Jun seemed to pay no heed to their reactions. After dealing with Zhao Sen and the others, he headed downstream of the Zhaojing River.

Apparently, chasing the nine-colored radiance downstream was what he valued the most.

Of course, Lei Jun had no intention of actually going downstream.

After making an appearance, he quietly disappeared again, staying away from the Zhaojing River basin.

News of the nine-colored radiance and Lei Jun's successive appearances in the Zhaojing River soon spread.

As expected, General Shangguan was well-informed, had a keen sense of smell, and was highly mobile. He quietly arrived in the Zhaojing area soon after.

Once he arrived, Lei Jun left without looking back.

Whether General Shangguan would also follow the river downstream was no longer Lei Jun's concern.

To be fair, it was uncertain if the previous appearances of the nine-colored radiance and Lei Jun in the Zhaojing River would lead to significant changes downstream.

Therefore, it was also unknown if General Shangguan would be able to obtain the sixth-grade opportunity that Lei Jun had offered him.

However, just like before, Lei Jun did not insist on a particular outcome.

He believed in going with the flow and letting things take their natural course.

As everyone could see, General Shangguan had come to the Zhaojing River of his own accord. No one had invited him.

(End of Chapter)

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