Cultivation: Fortune by Lots

Lei Jun carefully read the three lines of lot fortune.

The content of the lots surprised him.

Based on the hints provided by the imprints of the Celestial Master Seal he possessed, the most likely directions were west and north.

The west side, that should correspond to the Supreme Pure River.

The north side, that should correspond to Xinjiang River.

But the lots, one was perfectly neutral, and the other was moderately unlucky.

As for the moderately good lot…

Green Thunder Ridge was actually not far from where Lei Jun was located, part of Dragon Tiger Mountain's outer areas, a subsidiary ridge extending from the main peak of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

The best choice, right on his own doorstep?

Not that it wasn't possible, but this judgement did seem to deviate slightly from the imprints of the Celestial Master Seal.

*Lei Jun was puzzled inside, and after pondering for a while, he finally decided to try his luck at Green Thunder Ridge.*

On one hand, the lot fortune had been accurate for as long as he could remember.

On the other hand, the sudden reappearance of the Celestial Master Seal was such a huge stir that surely many people had been alerted.

Even if others hadn't noticed, Li Zhengxuan on the mountain wielded the Celestial Master's Sword, and outside, Elder Li Song and Yu Qingling were engaged in a struggle nearby—once these Upper Three Heavens experts sensed anything, they would definitely hunt for the whereabouts of the Celestial Master Seal as soon as possible.

It would take them much less time to get to Xinjiang River or Supreme Pure River, and at the very least, they would move faster than Lei Jun.

That being the case, Lei Jun decided to follow the moderately good lot, and heat up a cold stove for once.

The world's upheaval came as swiftly as it went, and after a short spell, it calmed down again, leaving disciples of the Celestial Master Mansion and the Yellow Sky Sect around Dragon Tiger Mountain wondering and curious.

But after the initial surprise, war quickly reignited.

Lei Jun kept his composure and moved with the crowd at first, and after everyone scattered, he quietly made his way to Green Thunder Ridge.

When he arrived, the ridges were all calm, with no signs of the two factions fighting; only far off among the mountains could the sounds of magical combat be faintly heard.

Lei Jun took out the Breathing Soil Banner, infusing his spiritual power into it to form yellow earth that surrounded and concealed him.

He studied the imprint of the Celestial Master Seal on the banner's surface, but there wasn't any movement at the moment.

Now that he'd come this far, Lei Jun didn't hesitate any longer.

He kept his mind steady, simply sitting cross-legged to meditate, silently practicing breathing skills and resting his spirit as he waited while cultivating.

*He didn't know how much time had passed before suddenly, the imprint of the Celestial Master Seal on the banner flashed faintly.*

Lei Jun opened his eyes.

He didn't act rashly just yet.

He patiently watched and listened for movement outside.

Night gradually descended.

Just as expected, the previously silent Green Thunder Ridge suddenly came alive with noise.

Following the sound, three people approached Lei Jun one after another.

The three fought, with two pitted against one.

But that lone figure was clearly stronger; fighting two at once, he forced the other pair to flee.

Lei Jun recognized the duo, and as they got closer, he saw it really was Li Zhenchang and Chu Andong, whom he'd dealt with not long ago.

But the man hunting them down was a skinny old man dressed in traditional Southern Wildernes garb.

Worm Master…*Lei Jun's heart stirred.*

This skinny old man was truly formidable, clearly wounded, and not by Chu Andong or Li Zhenchang.

Yet carrying old injuries, he could still release strange and deadly worms, suppressing two Celestial Master Mansion true disciples.

Lei Jun carefully observed.

The inheritance of Southern Witch Sect's Worm Art Vein, in actual spellcasting, somewhat resembled the Taoist Talisman Sect.

At least at the middle-low realm it was similar.

Disciples of the Taoist Talisman Sect would prepare spirit talismans ahead of time, using them in battle—low cost, great power, coordinated attacks, and varied tactics.

Worm Masters of the Witch Sect likewise fed spirit worms regularly, and in magical duels, released various witchcraft worms to attack or defend.

However, Talisman Sect Taoists excelled at corporeal life mastery and didn't fear close combat; often, they'd aggressively seek hand-to-hand fights.

Worm Masters from Southern Wildernes, on the other hand, mostly kept their distance from enemies, avoiding contact, with mid-ranged attacks, sheltering their vulnerable selves behind their witch worms.

For example, the old Worm Master Lei Jun was watching now, despite having many fierce tricks, his favorite worm was the Profuse Flower Gu.

Whenever he released the Profuse Flower Gu, thick colored mist spread out to blanket a huge swath of the mountains.

The old master would hide within the mist, and all his other witch worms mingled within it; he used the mist as cover for his techniques, both hidden and mysterious, ceaseless, impossible to guard against.

Li Zhenchang and Chu Andong, being true disciples of the Celestial Master Mansion, were not only skilled in Taoist laws and talismans, but well-traveled and knowledgeable; seeing this, they immediately unleashed the Blazing Flame Talisman, burning away the colored mist first.

But the old Worm Master had prepared plenty of Profuse Flower Gus, constantly keeping the mists thick.

There was no way he would just stand by and let his Profuse Flower Gu be destroyed by those two true disciples.

Hidden in the mist, all kinds of dangerous moves came out:

There was the madness-inducing, mind-disorienting Frenzy Worm.

There was the glacier-forming, area-freezing Cold Ice Worm.

There was the Gold Armor Worm, a giant worm acting as a defensive shield.

There was the Burst Worm, which carried Yin Fire, darted around rapidly, then exploded self-destructively at enemies…

Li Zhenchang and Chu Andong used the Purifying Heart Talisman to dispel the Frenzy Worm, met the Cold Ice Worm with Blazing Flame Talismans, and fought off the Burst Worm with Golden Barrier Talismans—working together with solid strategy.

But unfortunately, the old Worm Master's realm overpowered them.

His deadliest move was a thin but vicious streak of golden light, barely visible to the naked eye, and it darted so fast it bit straight through Li and Chu's Golden Barrier Talismans.

"Golden Silkworm!" Li Zhenchang's face changed.

The Golden Silkworm broke the defenses first, then other deadly worms followed up.

After a brief and fierce fight, the old Worm Master finally got the upper hand over the two true disciples of the Celestial Master Mansion.

Chu Andong collapsed, heavily wounded, his fate uncertain.

Li Zhenchang was frozen solid by the Cold Ice Worm.

The old master wasn't doing much better, coughing up blood, his spirit flagged, wounds cracking open and oozing foul and stinking blood as his injuries worsened.

"I'm old, really old, can't even handle two brats from the Lower Three Heavens without nearly passing out."

He bent over, coughing without end, "Mostly 'cause I got hurt earlier…ah, cough, cough!"

*He'd barely managed to hide away and heal, only to have these Celestial Master Mansion disciples discover his tracks.*

*No matter if he killed them or slipped away, he had to hurry before more came…wait?!*

The old Worm Master was suddenly on the alert.

Because another tall young Taoist in an apricot Daoist robe appeared in front of him, dressed like a transmission disciple of the Celestial Master Mansion.

"Seriously?"

Lei Jun stared at the old man in surprise, "You've got something on you? Is it because someone from the Southern Wildernes was involved in the third internal conflict at the Celestial Master Mansion?"

The imprint on the Breathing Soil Banner reacted, actually pointing at this old Worm Master.

*Was it because he had something on him?*

*During the third upheaval of the Celestial Master Mansion, top Southern Witch Sect experts intervened, got killed and repelled, but snatched away certain items…*

*From the look of it though, this old Worm Master had no idea how important the thing he was carrying really was.*

"Whatever you say…" Lei Jun spoke as his spirit talisman was already activated in his hand.

The old Worm Master struggled to stop coughing, "Another brat with a death wish, these old bones gotta hold out a bit longer, send one more amateur Taoist to the grave!"

As he spoke, more Profuse Flower Gu mist billowed out, expanding and obscuring everything.

Taking cover, other worms secretly lurked, waiting to strike.

But in the next instant…

"Boom-boom-boom-boom!"

Thunder and fire combined, blasting on and on in rapid succession.

The Fire Storehouse Thunder of the Five Thunder Talismans blanketed nearly as much ground as the Profuse Flower Gus, instantly blasting away great swaths of colored mist.

As the smoke cleared, the old Worm Master's stunned face appeared, "You…you've got the Fourth Layer of Heaven cultivation?"

Lei Jun's spirit talisman flashed in his hand again, "Doesn't matter, it's enough for now."

The old man coughed twice, straightening his back, "Now even running into mere brats I gotta use real stuff—guess I really am washed up."

"You don't look old at all,"

Lei Jun shook his head, "Fighting you is like smacking my grandson around."