Lei Jun looked at theomenhe drew and couldn’t help but feel speechless. He wasn’t sure whetherChishan Branch Estatewas particularly lucky or particularly cursed. The last time he leftChishan Branch EstateforMount Longhu, he ran into trouble on the way. And now, it seemed like he was about to face another incident.

This time, things looked even worse. Previously, he had drawn twoUpper-Moderate Omens, oneModerate Omen, and oneLower-Moderate Omen. This time, there was only oneUpper-Moderate Omen, followed by aLower-Bad Omen—a sign of extreme danger, a path with almost no chance of survival.

Lei Jun shook his head repeatedly. At least, the good news was that he didn’t have to deal with the anxiety of afortunate dilemmathis time. As long as he didn’t act recklessly, he could turn misfortune into fortune.

Speaking of turning misfortune into fortune, this omen was quite insightful… Lei Jun’s eyes glimmered. The fortune and misfortune were intertwined, suggesting that bothheavenly disastersandhuman interferencewere at play.

But he wondered: were the dangers of theLower-Moderate Omenand theLower-Bad Omencaused by a combination of heavenly and human factors? Or were they separate causes for each threat?

Lei Jun sat on the back of his apprentice-to-be—a giant panda namedGungun—deep in thought. Gungun seemed to sense Lei Jun’s mood and quietly stayed still, unlike its usual playful antics.

After a moment, Lei Jun patted Gungun on the head. The giant panda immediately perked up and sprinted forward with enthusiasm.

Following Lei Jun’s guidance, it headed towardYuhui Gorge, the direction indicated by theUpper-Moderate Omen. As the panda ran, Lei Jun stayed alert to his surroundings, sensing for any sign of aFifth-Grade Opportunity. He wasn’t sure what it might be.

Half a day later, they arrived at a massive gorge. Under the glow of the setting sun, the scenery was breathtaking. Lei Jun marveled at the beauty of nature while keeping his senses sharp for any hidden opportunities.

Lei Jun’s face suddenly changed. He clearly sensed traces ofdemonic energylingering in the gorge!

As a cultivator ofspiritual energy, Lei Jun rarely dealt with demonic energy, but he was extremely sensitive to it. Even Gungun, beneath him, grew anxious.

Lei Jun immediately raised his guard, soothing Gungun while carefully observing the area. Fortunately, he had the habit of keeping theNight Wind Talismanactive on himself. Now, with heightened vigilance, his mana flowed, making his presence even more concealed. TheNight Windspread out, further hiding Gungun’s large body.

Given theUpper-Moderate Omen, this path should have no danger or consequences… Lei Jun thought, puzzled. Nevertheless, he remained cautious, guiding Gungun carefully through the gorge.

There wasn’t any strict time constraint indicated by the omen, so Lei Jun prioritized safety before considering the opportunity.

His caution wasn’t unwarranted—the demonic energy was thick and menacing. But after traversing the gorge for a while, Lei Jun gradually relaxed. The demonic energy did not seem to intensify or show signs of sudden aggression. In fact, it seemed to be dissipating slowly over time.

From the current clues, it appeared that a powerful demon had been in the gorge previously but had since left. However, Lei Jun couldn’t rule out the possibility of the demon returning later.

He thought of theLower-ModerateandLower-Bad Omens. Perhaps the demon had moved toCangling River ValleyorTiansong Mountain.

With this in mind, Lei Jun maintained his vigilance while searching the area. The demonic energy interfered significantly with his senses. As it began to dissipate, his perception of other things became clearer.

Suddenly, he sensed a faint, peculiarspiritual energy. Amid the demonic interference, it stood out distinctly. However, this energy felt somewhat unusual.

Lei Jun formed a hand seal, andYin Metal Thunder—rich with magnetic properties—sparked from his fingertips. The lightning coalesced into a stream, as if guided by something, and pierced through the demonic energy.

Lei Jun’s eyes brightened. He patted Gungun, and the two followed the lightning’s path. As they moved forward, he felt a chill in the air. The demonic energy thickened slightly.

Rounding a bend, they found large, strange feathers scattered on the ground. Each feather was half black and half white, sharply divided yet contained within a single feather. The feathers were enormous, each as large as a banana leaf.

“Are these the feathers of that demon?” Lei Jun murmured, sensing the heavy demonic energy emanating from them. It seemed the demonic energy inYuhui Gorgeoriginated from these feathers.

But Lei Jun’s focus wasn’t on the feathers. Instead, his attention turned to a twisted, deformed piece of metal on the ground. Despite its warped shape, the metal was massive, about the size of half a millstone.

The peculiar spiritual energy and the chill came from this metal.

Lei Jun placed his hand on the metal, feeling the coldness.

“Antarctic Cold Iron.”

The name surfaced in his mind, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

This metal was indeed a rare treasure. TheFifth-Grade Opportunitymentioned in theUpper-Moderate Omenmust refer to this. For Lei Jun, its value lay not just in the cold iron, but in itsAntarcticproperties.

Aside from its chill, the metal contained a magnetic energy that aligned with his recent research intoPrimordial Magnetism.

“Interesting…” Lei Jun muttered.

A large head stretched over curiously. The panda, also known as theIron-Eating Beast, seemed intrigued. But Lei Jun pushed its head away.

He stored theAntarctic Cold Ironin hisMiniature Pouch. Since there was no guarantee the demon wouldn’t return, he decided to study the treasure later atMount Longhu.

He climbed back onto Gungun’s broad back. The panda, feigning annoyance, turned its head away.

Lei Jun chuckled and patted its head. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a share later.”

Gungun, unimpressed by empty promises, merely shook its head and resumed walking.

Following Lei Jun’s direction, they leftYuhui Gorge. The lingering demonic energy made even the panda, who thrived on spiritual energy, feel uneasy.

Fortunately, theUpper-Moderate Omenheld true—there was no danger. They left the gorge safely, with no sign of the demon returning.

Lei Jun patted Gungun again, and they happily set off on their return journey.

However, as they walked, both their ears twitched simultaneously.

Gungun didn’t stop, but Lei Jun turned his head toward the sound. He sensed a disturbance in the distance—someone was engaged in battle, and the commotion was considerable.

If his senses were correct, the fighting was coming from the direction ofCangling River Valley… Lei Jun raised an eyebrow.

He remembered that his previous omen also mentionedCangling River Valley, but he had chosenSolitary Source Peakinstead. Unexpectedly, disciples from theLin Clan of Jiangzhouhad gone there and obtained theDivine Eye Mirror Stone.

By a twist of fate, that stone had ended up in Lei Jun’s hands.

This time,Cangling River Valleywas associated with aLower-Moderate Omen, so Lei Jun had avoided it. But it seemed someone else had walked into danger.

Curious, Lei Jun didn’t approach. Instead, he concealed himself with the night, guiding Gungun up a nearby mountain. Using theDivine Eye Mirror Stone, he observed the scene from afar.

The battle was fierce, with one side retreating while the other pursued relentlessly.

To his surprise, the person being pursued wasZhang Jingzhen. When he leftChishan Branch Estate, there had been no mention of Zhang Jingzhen leaving. What was she doing here?

The pursuers wereConfucian cultivators—one wielding sword qi, another reciting poems that invoked mystical phenomena, and another firing arrows. Their attire resembled that of theLin Clandisciples he had encountered before.

Old enemies again…Lei Jun frowned.

Zhang Jingzhen, despite being aSixth Heaven Talismanic Branch cultivator, was injured and struggling. The Lin Clan had sent a formidable force, including elders at theSixth Heaven, along with many younger disciples.

The battle raged, tearing through forests and collapsing mountains. For cultivators below theUpper Three Heavens, this level of destruction was extraordinary.

Zhang Jingzhen fought calmly but couldn’t shake off her pursuers. The leading Lin Clan elder sneered, “We’ve caught a big fish. Don’t let her escape.”

A young Lin disciple muttered, “Too bad it isn’t Lei Jun. We heard he leftMount Longhu, but we missed him.”

The elder’s expression remained cold. “There will be other chances.”

The disciple added, “Weren’t we targeting theLi Clan of Xinzhoufirst? Zhang Jingzhen

isn’t even from the countryside…”

The elder replied indifferently, “The countryside brats are ideal targets, but killing aZhangor aLimakes little difference. TheLi Clanis barely holding on; they won’t last. TheZhang Clanis also in decline. We’re just helping them along.”

“Too badSixth Uncleisn’t here; he’d have captured her by now.”

“He’s on standby. Unless anUpper Three Heavensexpert appears, he won’t act. The situation is unstable; we must be cautious.”

“Yes!” The Lin disciples spread out, tightening the encirclement.

Amid the chaos,Lei Jun’sfigure emerged, hidden by theBreath-Taking Flag’sdim light. He watched thoughtfully as the battle unfolded.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com