Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 436: One stroke of luck, two opportunities_2

Maybe I should look elsewhere... Lei Jun mused, lost in thought.

As he turned these ideas over in his mind, suddenly a glowing orb flickered in his consciousness, revealing a set of characters,

"Step by step along the path to Connecting Heaven, fortune and disaster entwined in desolate Wenhua."

Lei Jun saw this, and arched his brow slightly.

He gazed up at the sky above Great Black Mountain, *wondering whether the so-called "step by step along the path to Connecting Heaven" referred to the sky above the summit, a portal to the exotic void, or something else entirely.*

This time, the orb revealed four possible lots,

"Moderately Good Lot, head to Pine Needle Ridge first, move when the time is right, then return to Great Black Mountain, a chance for both a Third-Rank Opportunity and a Fourth-Rank Opportunity, some minor disturbances now, but no major risk; however, hidden troubles are buried, caution in the future is called for, good."

"Perfectly Neutral Lot, keep away from Great Black Mountain, Dragon Bone Ridge, and Chengu Mountain, receive no extra reward, lose nothing, neutral."

"Moderately unlucky lot, go to Dragon Bone Ridge, get nothing extra, but risk may arise, unlucky."

"Moderately unlucky lot, go to Chengu Mountain, no extra gain, potential risk, unlucky."

Lei Jun read over the four lots, his gaze sweeping the area, *recalling in his mind the maps he’d studied before coming here.*

Even though those snow mountain maps hadn’t offered much excitement, this time, Lei Jun held a vague suspicion about the dangers tied to the two moderately unlucky lots.

The direction that Lin Likong and the other had retreated should be toward what was known as Chengu Mountain.

After all, there was an Eighth Heavenly Layer expert on their side, so the demons entangling and chasing them weren’t as numerous as at the beginning.

The two elders from the Youzhou Lin Clan should have been able to handle the demons.

On the flip side, *if Lei Jun went that way, those two could pose a threat to him.*

This was a Grand Scholar at the Eighth Heavenly Layer, perceptive and sharp, and although Lei Jun used the Celestial Master Seal to hide himself, he couldn’t guarantee that he’d fool the other absolutely.

On the Dragon Bone Ridge side, several Eighth Heavenly Layer experts were fighting; their focus was all on each other, but the battlefield was dangerous, and approaching recklessly would be risky all the same.

So this moderately good lot, first go to Pine Needle Ridge, then return to Great Black Mountain?

Pine Needle Ridge... Lei Jun paused in contemplation, finally looking one last time at the sky above Great Black Mountain before turning away and leaving.

This time, the benefits suggested by the moderately good lot really seemed excellent.

A Third-Rank Opportunity plus a Fourth-Rank Opportunity, that was some absurdly good luck!

But the reason it was only a moderately good lot, and not the best lot, lay in...

*There were no major risks now, but there could be trouble down the line.*

*Without knowing Xu Yuanzhen’s current situation, Lei Jun weighed his options and still chose to try out the moderately good lot.*

He moved using stealth, masking his presence, all the while recalling the terrain in this mountainous region as he slowly worked his way near Pine Needle Ridge.

The Heavenly Eye Mirror glowed, and a colossal phantom pupil flashed faintly overhead.

At that moment, Lei Jun’s insight rivaled that of some Upper Three Heavens cultivators.

Although, for the sake of remaining concealed, he couldn’t just go all out, after spending a bit more time searching, he still managed to discover something.

The snowy valley below Pine Needle Ridge appeared tranquil, with nothing but snow continually piling up.

But here, the flow of spiritual energy was subtly shifting.

Lei Jun stayed perfectly calm, quietly drawing closer.

First, he ascended to the summit of Pine Needle Ridge.

Here, a youth from the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, inheriting the Confucian Divine Archer lineage, lay hidden in ambush.

Cultivators of the Divine Archer line tended to be highly perceptive and keenly observant, especially after reaching the Fourth Layer of Heaven’s "Mind’s Eye" realm—every single one of them was like this.

If, on top of "Mind’s Eye," they worked to further refine sense and insight, this advantage would only become greater.

But this young Lin Clan cultivator wasn’t nearly on par with Lei Jun in that regard.

And his skills at hiding himself were even worse compared to Lei Jun.

Silent as a shadow, Lei Jun closed in on him, twisted both hands around the target’s skull and neck, and snapped them with a jerk.

He gently placed the limp corpse aside, then descended toward the valley, entering the snow-filled hollow.

The snowy valley, masked by certain techniques, looked ordinary from the outside—there was nothing odd to see. But inside, it was a hidden cave heaven.

Fu, Gui, Bian, Deng, and all sorts of ritual vessels were carefully arranged; clearly, a classic sacrificial ceremony was underway.

There weren’t many people performing the rites, just five in total, with a young woman at their lead.

The Celestial Master Mansion had interacted with the Jiangzhou Lin Clan enough times that as soon as Lei Jun glimpsed her profile, he identified her as Lin Qing, daughter of Lin Che—one of the best among the younger Jiangzhou cultivators, on track to reach the Upper Three Heavens within a hundred years, just behind Lin Zhen and Lin Lang.

The Lin Clan youngsters here were few, but the ritual itself was grand and formal.

At the central altar, a copper tripod sat upright. Blue smoke curled inside, taking on the vague shapes of mountains and rivers overhead.

*Most techniques held no secrets for Lei Jun these days; even if he couldn’t grasp every detail instantly, after a glance he’d get the general idea.*

The Lin Clan, sure enough, were trying to seal off the void portal above Great Black Mountain.

*You had to hand it to them: apart from the setup over at Dragon Bone Ridge, they had prepared a backup plan—quietly starting another operation here at Pine Needle Ridge.*

However, this spot at Pine Needle Ridge was new, not like Dragon Bone Ridge, where they’d been at work for ages. *That was why the rite Lin Qing and the others performed here was still in its infancy.*

*Which meant, there was an opening to mess with it in reverse.*

The moderately good lot had mentioned coming to Pine Needle Ridge before heading back to Great Black Mountain, so it looked like the answer lay right here... Lei Jun calmly pulled out a metal rail and leveled it at Lin Qing.

The next instant, the air between those two shimmered and rippled like disturbed water.

"Pop!"

"Clang!"

Lin Qing’s focus was locked on the ritual. She’d inevitably overlooked the movements in the area, leaving most of the guarding to the Divine Archer waiting atop the ridge.

At that instant, before she could react, her white robe suddenly turned black, as though ink had drenched her clothes.

The black garment billowed outward, threatening to form a Mount Mo-like shield, casting a protective dome over Lin Qing.

But before the Mount Mo barrier could fully rise—while it was still swelling outward—there came a sharp "pop," and it shattered apart, scattering in fragments through the air.