CHAPTER 371: 215. A SECOND-RANK OPPORTUNITY?_2

After pausing briefly, he continued, "Although Zhu’an Mountain was not Yuan Shanji’s homeland, it was where he rose to power. Back in the day, Yuan Shanji also served as the Mountain Lord of Zhu’an. For the past hundred years, Zhu’an Mountain had always been under the control of Yuan Shanji’s lineage."

Lei Jun understood, "So he’s probably not on the same page as Sang Lu, the lord of Gepo Mountain."

Sang Lu, the current Holy Master of Gepo Mountain, had been presiding over the place for over a hundred years.

It might not sound like much, but for the major Sacred Lands of the Southern Witch Sect, where the flags changed constantly atop the city walls, Sang Lu had already established deep foundations and wielded significant control.

As for how chaotic the various Sacred Lands of the Witch Sect could get, put it this way, except for Gepo Mountain, the other four Sacred Lands—Blood River Sect, Samsara Abyss, Yintuo Mountain, and Golden City Stronghold—were all led by new rulers who had only risen to power in recent decades...

But the Southern Wilderness was still the Southern Wilderness. Even the most stable of the five Sacred Lands, Gepo Mountain, contained many internal factions.

Though Sang Lu had held the position of Holy Master of Gepo Mountain for years, there were other powerful bigwigs within Gepo Mountain as well.

Yuan Shanji was one of them. Although his cultivation strength might be weaker than Sang Lu’s, he was likewise a Great Shaman at the Eighth Heavenly Layer from the Divine Dance Lineage.

Most of the time, Yuan Shanji also followed Sang Lu’s orders.

But now, it seemed he acted differently in private.

If the Sui Dynasty heirs managed to place a sacrifice capable of shaking the earth veins at Zhu’an Mountain, it meant the entanglements between them ran deep.

The relationship between the direct descendants of the Sui Dynasty and Wei Ancheng was subtle, but it was hard to say how Yuan Shanji got along with Wei Ancheng and Blood River Sect.

Connected to the present situation where Gepo Mountain was teaming up with Yintuo Mountain and Samsara Abyss to wage war against Blood River Sect, Yuan Shanji’s actions made it seem like troubles were brewing in Gepo Mountain’s own backyard.

......

While Lei Jun and his master gazed into the distance toward Zhu’an Mountain, others quietly approached the Zhu An River region from other directions.

The leader wore brocade robes. He bore a resemblance to Yang Fei, the second son of the Sui Dynasty, but looked far more mature, appearing to be in his thirties, a short mustache gracing his lips and his eyes steady and intense.

"Your Highness the Heir,"—one of his attendants stepped forward, "We’ve already made contact with the people at Zhu’an Mountain, they’re on a hair-trigger and ready to act."

This brocade-clad youth with the mustache was none other than Yang Tai, the firstborn son of Yang Yuqi, Crown Prince of the Sui Dynasty, Sheng Kang.

He stared toward Zhu’an Mountain far away, only speaking after a long silence, "The inner conflict between top experts of the Divine Dance Lineage is rare compared to clashes among other Witch Sect traditions. We only have one chance to use our geographical advantage, there’s no room for failure."

The attendant lowered his head, "Understood, please rest assured, Your Highness."

Yang Tai gazed at the surging Zhu An River before him, once again sinking into silence.

If possible, both he and his father, Yang Yuqi, would’ve preferred to shake the earth veins’ Spiritual Energy in the Southern Wilderness, forge new foundations for the nation’s fate. That would have given them grounds to challenge Northern Tang once more.

But unfortunately the grand enterprise had not even begun and they were intercepted time after time, with every critical node capable of stirring the earth veins targeted and destroyed, making the ritual impossible.

The necessary sacrificial instruments were all precious. To start over and craft new ones would take an unknown number of years.

Now all they could do was settle for a second-best plan.

The Divine Dance Lineage of the Witch Sect performed blessings and sacrifices, set up arrays for ghosts and gods, and disturbed the void and even time and space.

A civil war among the best of Gepo Mountain would further distort the local void.

When the time came, with the aid of the ritual here, by channeling earth vein Spiritual Energy, Yang Tai planned to perform a different ritual instrument, trying to forge a new Sacrificial Item.

If he succeeded, his father would gain another opportunity. Even if he couldn’t immediately reach the realm of the Ninth Heavenly Layer, he’d be able to lay a stronger foundation, preparing for the future...Yang Tai’s expression was as calm as a still lake.

*Thinking of Wei Ancheng, the Blood River Sect Leader who had already reached the Ninth Heavenly Layer, this direct descendant of the Sui Dynasty felt deeply conflicted.*

But he quickly composed himself, steadying his mood.

Yang Tai kept his gaze fixed on distant Zhu’an Mountain, quietly awaiting the moment he hoped for.

......

Lei Jun and his master also calmly waited.

Suddenly, Yuan Mobai seemed lost in thought, "Oh?"

He raised a hand, signaling Lei Jun to wait for now, while he himself stepped onto the thunderclouds and sped off into the distance.

Lei Jun watched but only felt some curiosity. He didn’t pry and remained quietly where he was.

Later, he saw Yuan Mobai—looking like a youth in purple robes—return.

"There’s definitely going to be some excitement here; but Yang Tai might not show up, the one who is approaching is Sang Lu herself," Yuan Mobai said.

Lei Jun knew his master had other contacts and information channels outside.

He didn’t inquire further, only mused, "Sang Lu?"

Even if the Sui Dynasty heirs had targeted the earth vein node here, under normal circumstances there shouldn’t be a need for Gepo Mountain’s Holy Master, Sang Lu, to personally visit Zhu’an Mountain.

If Sang Lu did come in person, that must mean...

The Elder of Gepo Mountain, Yuan Shanji, was almost certainly inside Zhu’an Mountain right now.

Lei Jun and his master exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing.

The spot Yuan Mobai picked was far away from Zhu’an Mountain, so for now they weren’t worried about alerting Yuan Shanji, who was inside Zhu’an Mountain.

But it looked like a fierce battle was about to break out here.

Lei Jun and his master were both concerned whether this would delay Yang Tai’s plans for the Sui Dynasty.

*If I gain it, that’s my fortune; if I lose it, that’s fate. For now, since there’s no further clues about Yang Tai’s whereabouts, waiting a while longer here won’t hurt,* Lei Jun thought freely, "If there really is internal chaos at Gepo Mountain, it’s bound to shake up the Southern Wilderness."

Yuan Mobai smiled, "With your mind so steady, I am greatly comforted as your teacher."

Soon after Yuan Mobai received the tip, a raincloud drifted in from afar.

The raincloud looked light and fluffy, but in a blink it hovered over Zhu An River.

From their remote vantage, Lei Jun and his master both hushed and glanced aside, not staring directly at the raincloud to avoid attracting attention.

Inside the raincloud, vague shapes of ghosts and gods danced gracefully, accompanied by ancient music.

Yuan Mobai seemed largely unaffected, but Lei Jun felt his spiritual soul quake, influenced by the ancient melody.

Thankfully, his spiritual soul was sheltered against the shimmering surface of the Celestial Master Seal, and so Lei Jun’s thoughts quickly returned to normal.

The Celestial Master Seal only soothed his mood without retaliating, so it didn’t alert their opponent.

The owner of the raincloud clearly focused on Zhu’an Mountain as well.

As the raincloud approached, a dignified and elegant ancient music suddenly arose within Zhu’an Mountain, harmonizing with the music in the raincloud.

The raincloud had come from Sang Lu, the current Holy Master of Gepo Mountain.

And within Zhu’an Mountain, the only one capable of matching her mana, must’ve been the Elder of Gepo Mountain, Yuan Shanji.

So he really was right there in Zhu’an Mountain.

At first glance, the atmosphere between them seemed harmonious.

But both Lei Jun and his master suspected this would not be a pleasant meeting, nor a peaceful banquet.

When the raincloud finally settled over the village below, Yuan Mobai spoke, "Later, if things change, Chongyun, you stay on the perimeter and watch. Stay safe and act at your discretion."

Lei Jun asked, "Master, are you planning to get involved with today’s Gepo Mountain civil war?"

Yuan Mobai replied, "Of course not, but if a friend is in need, I will act as circumstances permit."

The informant who had tipped off his master earlier was also currently in Zhu’an Mountain...Lei Jun realized upon hearing this.

Just then, a ball of light flashed in Lei Jun’s mind, with words appearing:

[Internal chaos at Gepo, fiends dancing wildly, dark currents surging, fortune and misfortune intertwined, the way of heaven, both positive and negative are one.]

Lei Jun’s heart stirred, and now inside the ball of light, three lots appeared:

[Moderately good lot, travel upstream of Zhu An River to Qianxin Mountain, you have a chance to obtain a Second-Grade Opportunity, with no danger for now, but later karmic entanglements may arise, so be very careful, auspicious.]

[Perfectly neutral lot, dive to the bottom of Zhu An River, you have a chance to obtain a Fifth Grade Opportunity, but may encounter danger, so proceed with caution, neutral.]

[Moderately unlucky lot, enter Zhu’an Mountain, you have a chance to obtain a Fifth Grade Opportunity, but danger is grave and every step means a mortal threat, ominous.]

Oh?

Lei Jun’s eyes lit up.

A Second-Grade Opportunity?

*That was indeed rare; if he remembered right, he’d only ever seen two such chances before.*

*But this Second-Grade Opportunity only came with a moderately good lot.*

*No danger for now, but it might drag in major karma later—whether or not there will be trouble, he’ll have to see how things unfold.*

*The principle of heaven, positive and negative as one...Lei Jun mused over the words.*

*Thinking of the encounter at Kongliu Mountain earlier, Lei Jun couldn’t help but guess, could this opportunity relate to the Celestial Book Dark Shadow?*

*A Second-Grade Opportunity was definitely leaps above the Fourth Rank Opportunity from last time with the Celestial Book Dark Shadow.*

*Since that Fourth Rank Opportunity could still be developed, would the follow-up land here?*