Chapter 135: Blind Frog Meets Dead Mosquito

Being the sect master was anything but peaceful.

Just as his plans began to bear fruit, Li Changshou had to temporarily put up a "Cat Immortal is out" sign. He then sat in his alchemy lab, meticulously pondering the situation.

This time, he sensed an ominous sign accompanied by bloodshed.

Why did he have such a premonition?

Li Changshou wasn't entirely sure, but he could interpret it as the Heavenly Dao's protection for individuals shielded by merit.

Or, if he considered it more deeply, it might even be a subtle hint from the Human Dao Sage.

Sitting in the alchemy lab, Li Changshou assumed a meditative posture. He assessed the incense merit he possessed and condensed it around his primordial spirit, forming a thin...

...pair of underwear.

There was no other option, as his current incense merit wasn't abundant enough. Furthermore, a primordial spirit doesn't have vulnerable points; it is the sublimation of the soul itself.

When dressing a miniature primordial spirit, one naturally starts with the most basic garment; it wouldn't make sense to put on socks first.

Now, back to serious matters.

Li Changshou first used his connection to the divine statues to thoroughly investigate the status of the entire Nanhai Sea God Sect.

All regions were stable, and there were no signs of disaster.

At present, a vast stretch of the Nanhai coastline in Jambudvipa and a smaller portion of the East Sea coast served as the Nanhai Sea God Sect's spiritual domains.

The Dragon Clan had dozens of their high-level experts stationed across these areas, including two Golden Immortals and twelve peak Heavenly Immortals. All served as protectors of the Nanhai Sea God Sect and received a share of the incense merit.

Li Changshou would never let their efforts go unrewarded.

Although the Dragon Clan's primary objective was to ensure the safety of Ao Yi, the Second Crown Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace.

"Could this ominous sign be connected to the Heavenly Court?"

The Nanhai Sea God Sect was on the verge of being officially recognized by the Heavenly Court, with only one or two centuries of procedures remaining. The Jade Emperor himself had already announced this in the Lingxiao Palace.

Could someone truly be unwilling to see the Heavenly Court strengthen, and thus target the Nanhai Sea God Sect?

That makes no sense. Opposing the Heavenly Court means opposing the Jade Emperor.

And opposing the Jade Emperor means opposing the Dao Ancestor.

If the Dao Ancestor deemed someone 'defying heavenly will,' the greatest victor of ancient times wouldn't even need to intervene personally. The Three Pure Ones could effortlessly eradicate any mastermind.

No, a single strike of the Zixiao Divine Thunder would leave nothing but dust!

Regardless, the Jade Emperor served as a protective charm for the Nanhai Sea God Sect.

Although the Heavenly Secret of the Great Investiture of the Gods Tribulation had not yet fully manifested, who would specifically target a minor Nanhai Sea God Sect simply because it was being absorbed by the Heavenly Court?

Moreover, the Heavenly Court's influence was currently too low, virtually non-existent compared to the Great Saint Sects.

While Li Changshou couldn't entirely rule out this possibility, he assigned it only a ten percent probability.

He reserved the remaining ninety percent for the worst-case scenario—

The Western Sect was about to make a move.

"If it truly is them, what would be their motive? Merely to seize incense merit?"

Feeling his thoughts somewhat muddled, Li Changshou activated the internal array formation of Little Qiong Peak and descended into his underground secret chamber.

He took out paper and a brush, laid them on the ground, and began a meticulous analysis and writing.

Unable to speak or write a Saint's true name, Li Changshou used various "code names," which he understood perfectly.

When his deductions involved his own Grand Pure One Sage, he would represent him with a chicken drumstick, signifying a powerful backing.

For the Sect Master of Jie School and the Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning, he would use a luminous cup and a bamboo basket, respectively.

The two Sages of the Western Sect, Jieyin and Zhunti, were represented by an orchid and a slingshot.

These symbols held no inherent meaning beyond their purpose, effectively preventing any unintended association with the Sages themselves.

Even when deducing potential schemes between Sages, it would merely appear as an orchid brushing against a slingshot, or a slingshot striking a luminous cup.

Naturally, Li Changshou had no intention of performing such high-level deductions. His focus remained on analyzing possibilities and making conjectures related to himself and the Nanhai Sea God Sect.

Only by understanding his adversaries' intentions could he devise effective countermeasures.

Li Changshou picked up his brush, sketching and writing, quickly falling into deep contemplation.

What Li Changshou didn't foresee, however, was that he had miscalculated this time, misunderstanding the true cause and effect...

Yet, by a stroke of serendipity, he inadvertently corrected his mistake.

Three days later...

In Anshui City, at the resplendent main temple of the Nanhai Sea God Sect.

Deep in the night, the last of the pilgrims had departed.

The doors of the Sea God's grand hall were securely closed by strong divine attendants, and six of them stood guard throughout the night.

The three-zhang tall gilded Sea God statue gradually emitted a faint wisp of immortal light, which quickly receded.

From the Sea God statue's indistinct face, a "gaze" seemed to emanate, turning to land on the nearby two-zhang tall statue of the Second Sect Master, which was jade-inlaid with gold, rested on a coral base, and depicted him in precious armor and a cloak.

"Ao Yi..."

"Ao Yi?"

Between the two statues, wisps of divine consciousness were subtly exchanged.

Concurrently, at the confluence of the South and East Seas, by the Treasure Pond on Jin'ao Island.

Ao Yi, who was meditating peacefully on a lotus platform, suddenly opened his eyes. After a moment of realization, he promptly closed them again.

In a hazy, dreamlike state, Ao Yi found himself in a realm of swirling clouds, where he saw a colossal Sea God statue.

Li Changshou stood at the base of the statue, awaiting him from a distance.

This arrangement solidified Li Changshou's status as a "merit agent," implying that the true power lay elsewhere.

A minor detail.

Ao Yi quickly stepped forward, performed a Daoist bow to Li Changshou, and joyfully exclaimed, "Greetings, Sect Master Brother!"

Li Changshou, however, wore a worried expression and spoke in a low voice:

"No time for pleasantries. Let's get straight to the point."

"Brother Yi, the Dragon Clan is in peril."

"What kind of tribulation is this?" Ao Yi paused, then quickly asked, "Sect Master Brother, please elaborate!"

Li Changshou sighed inwardly.

He didn't wish to deceive Ao Yi, but he needed the Dragon Clan's assistance in this matter, so he had to carefully choose his words.

According to Li Changshou's deductions, the impending ominous sign most likely indicated the Western Sect's move to "reclaim lost incense territory," launching a two-pronged attack involving both mortals and immortals.

This would involve conflicts among mortal followers alongside stealth attacks by experts to destroy Sea God temples, both occurring simultaneously.

If he directly informed the Dragon Clan of this, they might withdraw from the Nanhai Sea God Sect due to their apprehension of the Western Sect's Sages.

Therefore, Li Changshou felt compelled to act disingenuously just this once, to secure the Dragon Clan's powerful support.

Should the Dragon Clan incur significant losses, he intended to compensate them with forty percent of the Nanhai Sea God Sect's incense merit.

Li Changshou said, "Brother Yi, are you aware that those two entities from the west have long coveted the Dragon Clan?"

Ao Yi paused, recalling snippets of conversations between two elder dragons at a grand Dragon Clan banquet.

The Western Sect had previously attempted to assimilate the Four Sea Dragon Palaces, intending to make the Four Sea Dragon Kings protective celestial dragons of their sect. They even promised to use the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus to suppress the Dragon Clan's destiny.

But the Dragon Clan was well aware that while the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus might suppress destiny, it had also suppressed countless experts assimilated by the Western Sect!

Even the most powerful innate spiritual treasures have their limits.

The Western Sect could neither suppress nor contain the Dragon Clan's vast destiny.

Consequently, the Dragon Clan outright refused.

This had transpired just a few years prior.

When Li Changshou brought this up, Ao Yi immediately understood and made numerous connections.

"Brother Changshou, what is your assessment?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then stated gravely:

"It's a strategy of combining carrots and sticks, a method of subjugation."

"If they operate both openly and covertly—secretly harming the Dragon Clan, then revealing themselves at a crucial moment to 'save' them—how could the Dragon Clan not be swayed?"

Li Changshou himself almost believed his own words.

Ao Yi gasped, pacing back and forth within the dreamscape.

He was not unintelligent, despite having two regrettable incidents in his youth, at ages ten and in his teens.

Soon, Ao Yi whispered:

"Are they perhaps..."

"...intending to use the Nanhai Sea God Sect as bait? To lure our Dragon Clan experts, then ambush or trap them, only to have their overt forces come to the rescue?"

"Precisely!"

"That must be it. The Nanhai Sea God Sect will soon face a calamity involving bloodshed, which should correspond to this scheme."

Li Changshou continued, "Brother Yi, there's no time to lose. Please contact your father, the king, immediately and inform him of this."

"I have two plans."

"First, our two factions could abandon the Nanhai Sea God Sect, allowing the Dragon Clan to preserve itself."

"If the enemy attacks, I will directly send dreams to the divine attendants and followers, instructing them to protect themselves, withdraw, and avoid conflict."

"Second, if the Dragon Clan is unwilling to forfeit these merits and wishes to confront the enemy, we can make early preparations, set up defenses in advance, 'trap the dog within the door,' and deliver a crushing blow to the enemy!"

Li Changshou paused, then added, "There's no time to lose, Brother Yi. Please contact the Dragon Palace promptly and have them make a decision as soon as possible."

Ao Yi immediately nodded in agreement, exchanged Daoist bows with Li Changshou, and the dream quickly dissipated.

Underground in Little Qiong Peak's alchemy lab, Li Changshou opened his eyes and let out a small sigh of relief.

The decision now rested with the Dragon Clan.

This move also involved a degree of manipulation toward the Dragon Clan, incurring some reciprocal obligations.

He would address other matters once this "great ominous sign" had passed.

Li Changshou didn't stop there. He continued to expend his mental energy, using the divine statues to send dreams to the influential divine attendants within the Sea God Sect.

Village Chief Xiong, the seasoned—or rather, the venerable—divine attendant, was naturally prioritized for receiving dreams.

Regardless, preparation was key.

He instructed the divine attendants of Xiong Village to mobilize, regulate the followers, contract their sphere of influence, and prepare for potential conflict.

The Nanhai Sea God Sect's influence was geographically long and narrow, which made defending it somewhat troublesome.

Even if this ominous sign of bloodshed merely indicated a minor sect conflict, it would serve as a valuable disaster drill.

After sending the dreams, Li Changshou still had a multitude of tasks. Seventy percent of his paper Daoists and paper figures had already been dispatched to the Nanhai Sea God Sect in Jambudvipa.

He naturally had to put in effort to protect his own sect.

His next step was to find the descendants of ancient trees, extract a small amount of sap, and create more paper Daoists and paper figures as backup.

Li Changshou could sense that the shadowy figure extending its hand to defile the Nanhai Sea God Sect was drawing near.

To be absolutely safe, guarding against even the slightest possibility;

The paper Daoists had also taken the majority of Little Qiong Peak's Jade-eating Frogs, transported in spirit beast bags, to reinforce the Sea God Sect.

Meanwhile...

In a secluded mountain forest somewhere in the Western Niuhe Continent, within a river valley hidden by multiple grand array formations.

Over a dozen figures descended into the river valley from various directions, most of them at the Heavenly Immortal realm of cultivation.

Both male and female, most bore aged faces, and their gazes held a shared wariness.

These individuals were familiar with each other, and they all shared a common identity—

Western Sect, Merit Agents.

Their respective divine statues were spread across the southwestern part of Jambudvipa, bordering the Nanhai Sea God Sect's territory.

Now that they were convened, these individuals could vaguely infer that the time had come to act against the Nanhai Sea God Sect.

The so-called Merit Agents established sects in their own names, cultivating followers and accumulating incense merit. However, ninety-five percent of this merit was siphoned away.

Nevertheless, retaining even this small portion was a tremendous boon for them, especially with the backing of a Great Saint Sect.

"Oh, everyone's here?"

With a soft call, an enchanting figure appeared in the river valley.

She wore a pink gauze dress, her long hair cascading to her waist, captivating to behold even from afar.

With a single step, the figure appeared among the stunned dozen-plus individuals.

This was naturally Daoist Wen Jing.

At that moment, Daoist Wen Jing produced a golden token from her bosom and lightly shook it. The dozen or so individuals immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

"You needn't know who I am, nor where I come from."

"I am merely here to discuss a small matter with you."

The dozen or so individuals were about to speak, but found their throats felt as if pricked by needles. Without realizing it, each of them was drenched in cold sweat.

A creeping sense of terror and dread slowly surfaced in their hearts.

Daoist Wen Jing swayed gracefully with light steps, her alluring figure swaying slightly with each movement. Her narrow, phoenix-like eyes swept over each person in turn.

"Their spiritual essence is somewhat lacking, but they possess a fair amount of merit, making them quite palatable."

"However, rest assured, as you have duties to fulfill, I will not make a meal of you. There are more sumptuous feasts awaiting me later."

"I want you to do one thing: a month from now, simultaneously incite mortals to rampage, vandalize, and loot the Nanhai Sea God Sect."

"At that time, I will have some puppets cooperate with you."

"Your objective is to draw out the Dragon Clan protectors within the Nanhai Sea God Sect, kill half of them, spare the other half, and then entice more Dragon Clan experts to rush to that location."

"Then, your task will be to continue inciting mortals to obstruct these Dragon Clan members..."

Daoist Wen Jing paused, not elaborating further.

As her gaze swept over the dozen or so people, Daoist Wen Jing realized they were too terrified by her Daoist aura to utter a word.

With a faint, cold smile, Daoist Wen Jing stated nonchalantly:

"Regarding what I just said, those who object may step half a pace forward."

An elderly woman, her face etched with hesitation, took half a step forward and opened her mouth to speak.

However, Daoist Wen Jing's figure flickered, instantly appearing before the old woman, and her slender finger flicked.

The elderly woman, who was already a half-step Golden Immortal, disintegrated into wisps of black dust that gently scattered.

"Now, who agrees, and who objects?"

The remaining dozen or so individuals were deathly pale, each lowering their heads, not daring to express anything.

Daoist Wen Jing smiled faintly, a certain figure seen through a water curtain coming to mind.

"Hmm..."

Compared to these mere blood sacrifices, that one could truly be considered a living being.