Another two moderately good lots?

*Lei Jun first felt a surge of delight in his heart.*

Alright, but at the moment, he didn't have any close companions by his side.

*It seemed he was once again going to face the happy trouble of making a choice.*

Even so, more good lots always looked festive.

*Although he might miss out on one, Lei Jun still stayed composed.*

His attention for now was focused on which of the two moderately good lots would be better for him to choose.

Geographically speaking, Guyuan Peak, Cangling River, and Jiuxi Valley were far apart from one another.

Lei Jun had a rough understanding of all three locations.

Returning to Dragon Tiger Mountain from Red Mountain Manor, each of these places was conveniently along the way.

But this time, his lot luck involved a matter of timing.

At sunset...

With reference to past experiences with lots that sought fortune and avoided calamity, when there was a clear time specified, generally speaking, he couldn't juggle them all. He could only choose one among the lots and act on it.

Picking one meant inevitably missing the others.

Trying to dash between two places in a short period? Most likely impossible.

"Guyuan Peak, Cangling River..." Lei Jun closely read the lots that mentioned these two places.

He considered whether he should, like he did back in Supreme Pure Thunder Mansion Cave Heaven, scout out both locations first.

For him right now, if he could come across a True Yin Spiritual Object that matched the Vermilion Sun Blossom, it would mean a real shot at improving his Root Bone Talent.

At that thought, Lei Jun got moving.

He had long packed his things. After saying his goodbyes to the Celestial Master Mansion Elder stationed at Red Mountain Manor, he set out on his journey.

......

Far, far away from Celestial Master Mansion's Red Mountain Manor.

Deep in the mountains and forests, a bizarre pit had been opened again in the valley.

A gigantic game piece was buried at the bottom of the pit.

In the distance, Ye Cheng, a descendant of the Qingzhou Ye Clan, nodded in satisfaction.

He thanked the young man next to him, "This time, it's thanks to your help, Lin, that we pulled this off."

Standing beside Ye Cheng was another young man, also clad in Confucian robes, his appearance refined and elegant.

This was Lin Zhen, a direct descendant of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan.

The Clan Chief of the Lin Clan, Lin Qun, who had perished unexpectedly above the Grand River, was indeed his father.

"You're too polite, Ye," Lin Zhen replied calmly, "This is a matter of great importance. Jiangzhou naturally would not stand by and do nothing."

He looked to Ye Cheng, "But with such big movements, I'm afraid His Majesty will take notice."

Ye Cheng replied, "Though everyone is placing their pieces and rushing to take the initiative, the next move depends on how His Majesty responds. Only then can we decide the next step."

Lin Zhen fell silent, turning to gaze toward the north.

Ye Cheng stood with him, also looking north, "It's not necessarily going to be the Youzhou Forest Clan and the Jinzhou Ye Clan."

Of all the Five Clans and Seven Families under heaven, the two Lins and the two Yes were rather unique.

Although the pairs were of the same ancestral bloodlines, their relations were not guaranteed to be harmonious.

Especially Youzhou Forest Clan and Jiangzhou Lin Clan—one north, one south—the Jiangzhou Lin Clan had split off from the Youzhou branch, headed south across the river, settled, and spread their roots generations ago.

The relationship between the two Lin families was peculiarly complicated.

Most of the time, it seemed their own interactions were even less friendly than each had with the other major prestigious families.

It's just that, in the current climate, everyone was watching the Tang Emperor's next move closely.

The Tang Emperor hunted in the north.

The first to feel the resulting chill had been the Jinzhou Ye Clan and the Youzhou Forest Clan.

With the Jiangzhou Lin Clan now in a rare period of decline and even internal turmoil, the situation became even more intriguing.

Of course, none of the great noble families had any intention of sitting and waiting for death, much less allowing the Tang Emperor to do as he wished.

The Tang Emperor had made the first move.

Now, the major families had answered with their own countermoves.

The Tang Emperor might capitalize on the situation and alter his own game plan.

*Who would have the last laugh? For now, it was still too soon to tell.*

"The Qingzhou Ye Clan always remained stable as a mountain."

Lin Zhen said coolly, "As long as this game ends in a draw, the Qingzhou Ye Clan already wins."

The current empress came from the Qingzhou Ye Clan.

The only son of His Majesty, the Emperor, was also born of the empress.

There were rumors that the current emperor was already considering appointing a Crown Prince.

This world, because of the unique nature of imperial rule—or the way of the Son of Heaven—in prosperous and peaceful times, once a Crown Prince was established, he was rarely replaced.

Much less when His Majesty had but one son.

"It's still early to talk about all that now," Ye Cheng showed no sign of gloating, "To face south and turn one's back on the north, to sit on the Dragon Throne—those things are always different from every other position."

He smiled slightly, "Of course, man proposes."

Never mind the Emperor.

The dynasty's rivers and mountains had already changed hands several times.

The Five Clans and Seven Families still remained the Five Clans and Seven Families.

Lin Zhen nodded and clasped his hands in farewell to Ye Cheng, "Now that this is settled, I'll take my leave."

Within his own Jiangzhou Lin Clan, the whirlpool was still raging.

Lin Zhen had stolen time to travel here; now he had to head straight back to Jiangzhou.

In fact, among those who kept the clan's chaos from settling down, were people from the Youzhou Forest Clan and the Qingzhou Ye Clan.

If the tables were turned, and the Youzhou Forest Clan and the Qingzhou Ye Clan fell into internal conflict, and if the Jiangzhou Lin Clan had resources to spare, they'd do the same—add fuel to the fire.

But that wouldn't stop them from cooperating for the moment in other areas.

Ye Cheng returned the gesture, "Your affairs are urgent, Lin. I won't detain you any longer."

Lin Zhen nodded, turned, and left.

......

On the route from Red Mountain Manor back to Dragon Tiger Mountain, a Cloud Car flew through the sky.

It carried Celestial Master Mansion Elder Zuo Li and Talisman-Instructed Disciple Li Yucheng, along with Zhang Yuan and other young transmission disciples, who were returning to Dragon Tiger Mountain Main Residence after completing their training at Red Mountain Manor's Red Abyss Cave Heaven.

They had set out ahead of Lei Jun.

At that time, Lei Jun was still in Red Abyss Cave Heaven, condensing Evil.

But midway through their flight, the mountains and rivers below suddenly changed.

Violent tremors shook the land, the terrain shifted, and cracks split open across the earth.

Mighty Spiritual Energy surged from a subterranean rift, shooting up to the sky like a blade of wind.

Struck by this sudden force, the Cloud Car toppled from the clouds in the air.

Luckily, Zuo Li and Li Yucheng, who were both Middle Three Heavens cultivators, reacted in time; there were no casualties.

*The group, still shaken, took time to recover—even though no one could tell what triggered the earth vein anomaly in front of them, they pressed onward, eager to return to Dragon Tiger Mountain as soon as possible.*

But with the Cloud Car gone, everyone was on their own feet.

Zuo Li and Li Yucheng slowed their pace to look after the younger Lower Three Heavens disciples.

Strictly speaking, as fast as Zhang Yuan and the others could move, far exceeding ordinary people and nearly matching galloping horses—

But this world was vast, and measuring it by foot alone made the journey dauntingly long.

"It's a rare, valuable bit of training," Zuo Li said with a smile, encouraging the young disciples.

They trekked through mountains and hills, weaving their way over ridges.

After half a day, Li Yucheng's expression suddenly changed; he turned his head, looking into the distance.

"What is it?" Zuo Li asked.

Li Yucheng replied, "There's something out there—not sure if it's a demon or a Spiritual Object."

Zuo Li checked the direction. "Looks like it's near Jiuxi Valley?"

Li Yucheng said, "I'll go check it out, just in case it's a demon attacking."

With that, he rose on a cloud and flew off toward the spot.

Zuo Li was uneasy, but seeing Zhang Yuan and the others nearby, he couldn't just leave them to chase after Li Yucheng.

*He also wondered—Li, who was usually so reserved and steady, what had him so agitated today?*

Thinking back to when he and Li last saw Lei Jun, Zuo Li seemed to understand, and sighed inwardly.

Li Yucheng's inner state was just as Zuo Li suspected.

*Right now, Li Yucheng's mood really was unsettled.*

*Its source was Lei Jun.*

Lei Jun had joined the sect much later than he had, but now his cultivation realm had also reached the Fourth Layer of Heaven, only slightly behind Li Yucheng in minor realms.

But from entry to now, Lei Jun had only needed a fraction of his own time!

*...Li Yucheng was starting to break down.*

*Usually, he wasn't knocked so easily.*

*If he really were this fragile, Tang Xiaotang would've already beaten him to pieces back then.*

Back then, he could still comfort himself: Tang Xiaotang had the Immortal Body, Serene Comprehension—no one on Dragon Tiger Mountain could compare, least of all Li Yucheng.

But now, with Lei Jun's sudden rise, after a second time, it's easy for people to wonder: would there be a third, a fourth?

And on the other hand…

*Now, the Li Clan's position within Celestial Master Mansion was growing increasingly delicate.*

*The standing of Li Clan's disciples was shifting too.*

*Li Yucheng sensed it acutely, but could do nothing about it.*

*To encounter Lei Jun's sudden rise now hit him even harder.*

Lei Jun's trip to Red Abyss Cave Heaven to condense Evil—what Zuo Li thought about it, Li Yucheng didn't know.

*But he himself wrestled with it deeply.*

Back at Main Residence, the Earth Core Yin Fire Sha was nearly exhausted, but there was still the White Tiger Divine Wind Sha and the Qingxiao Divine Thunder Evil.

So why didn't Lei Jun pick Main Residence to condense Evil? Why travel all the way to Red Abyss Cave Heaven for the Nine Earth Yin Wind Evil?

Li Yucheng couldn't figure it out, but then remembered an old incident.

Back then, Lei Jun trained in the Green Stone Ink Mine, accelerating his cultivation, but suffered no harm from the mine...

*Something abnormal is going on here—it's got to be trouble!*

So, Taoist Li grew even more anxious.

*I have to seize every opportunity to improve my own strength, even if it means taking risks...* Li Yucheng's gaze steeled.

He raced toward Jiuxi Valley, where the Spiritual Qi felt exceptionally dense to him.

......

After leaving Red Mountain Manor, Lei Jun had some time and headed to Cangling River first, then Guyuan Peak.

Unfortunately, no matter which spot he checked, neither the Celestial Master Seal nor the True One Altar deep within his soul stirred.

*He couldn't tell if neither place held a fate that matched the Vermilion Sun Blossom, or if these two lots, like back at Youpeng Mountain and Qiluo Valley, were tied to treasures that shifted as the earth vein Spiritual Energy flowed—only arriving at a special moment.*

Since for now, there was nothing found, Lei Jun didn't dwell on it.

Out of the two moderately good lots, he picked the first one.

Over at Guyuan Peak, everything was dead calm.

But at Cangling River, there was still something of a stir.

Given that, best to stay here at Guyuan Peak—less trouble, less effort.

Besides, Guyuan Peak's boundaries were set, while Cangling River was a long, narrow stretch—far more time and effort to search.

Lei Jun made up his mind and began to inspect the area around Guyuan Peak with extra care.

Soon, in the mountains, he spotted a deep rift much like the one before at Qiluo Valley—surely created when the earth veins quaked and twisted.

At the darkest depth of the chasm, great quantities of Spiritual Energy pooled, flowing like a mighty river.

However, for now, no treasures worthy of note appeared.

Lei Jun waited patiently.

The sun gradually dipped westward.

The moment of sunset finally came.

Diving down to the very bottom of the fissure, Lei Jun gripped the Breathing Soil Banner and put all his focus into another round of 'fishing.'

The moderately good lot didn't let him down.

Right on time, as the sun set and the depths were shrouded in gloom, a spark of Spirit Light flashed through the Spiritual Qi River, sweeping toward him with the current!

Lei Jun flicked the Breathing Soil Banner in his hand, and the tether formed from Spirit Soil snagged the Spirit Light in the flowing river of Spiritual Energy, dead on.

A Fifth Grade Opportunity—secured!

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