Chapter 153: The Birth of a Celestial-Level Paper Daoist

Twelve years in advance... Is this intentional? Are the Sect Master and the elders who knew about this doing this on purpose to mess with him?

In fact, it was Sect Master Wuyou who first received the news about the Three Sects' Origin Conference. Li Changshou had secretly observed a few days prior that a spirit sword had pierced through the clouds, prompting the Sect Master to convene a meeting with several elders. Since he was already monitoring Immortal Lin Peak, Li Changshou naturally extended his surveillance to the entire sect. However, the passive detection of his Wind Whisper Spell only revealed that disciples were to be summoned to the Hundred Ordinaries Hall today for a discussion. No matter how one judged it, wasn't this supposed to be a concentrated discussion "before departure"? No matter how he thought about it, the interval between summoning disciples for admonishment and their departure shouldn't exceed two or three years at most, right? Summoning disciples was simply to read out sect rules, warn them to be more disciplined, and avoid embarrassing the sect outside. If they were warned twelve years in advance, wouldn't some people forget? How long in advance were disciples summoned for the last Dragon Palace Conference? Why this time?!

"Forget it." Li Changshou had calculated everything, but he misjudged the depths of human nature. He had considered that the Sect Master and elders within the sect would highly value the Three Sects' Origin Conference, as their Immortal-Du Sect barely qualified to attend. But Li Changshou never imagined they would value it to such an extreme extent! It was infuriating, their actions utterly despicable!

Lying on his straw bed, Li Changshou's thoughts slowly settled into silence, and he began to swiftly seek a countermeasure. This unexpected turn was merely a minor setback in life. On the path to achieving the Daluo realm and eternal life, how could one expect smooth sailing and direct enlightenment?

After Jiuwu and Youqin Xuanya left, Ling'e endured for a long time by his side, almost biting through her lip, but finally couldn't hold back and chuckled, covering her mouth. Li Changshou glanced at her. Ling'e immediately stifled her laughter, put on a pitiful expression, and her eyes were filled with sympathy. Ling'e whispered, "Senior Brother... your junior sister feels heartache for you."

Li Changshou calmly transmitted his voice, "Go cultivate. I'm very tempted to change my strategy and make you lie here instead." "Excuse me! Farewell! Call me if you need anything!" Ling'e made a Daoist bow, hurried out of the straw hut, covered her mouth, and giggled secretly, then floated back to her own hut like the wind. It was truly rare for her to see her Senior Brother in such a predicament!

If he was going to put on a show, he would see it through to the end. Li Changshou deliberately stayed in bed for three years before finally getting up and returning to his alchemy room to intensify his study of the External Incarnation technique.

The Three Sects' Origin Conference, in itself, had a certain degree of safety; Daoist grandmasters would gather, and the main points of conflict were between the Jie and Chan sects. The Immortal-Du Sect would essentially be there to make up the numbers. But that place, twelve years from now, would be where the karma of the entire Primordial World converged! Accidentally bumping into a grandmaster could trigger a series of subsequent events...

Li Changshou no longer needed to be recognized by other experts from the Three Sects. He had already established a connection with Grand Master Xuandu, and had a task assigned by the Grand Pure Saint. As long as he adhered to the eight-character policy of "tranquility, non-action, and avoiding trouble," his future would be secure!

At this conference, several of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect were expected to appear. In contrast, several top disciples from both the inner and outer sects of the Jie Sect might also appear in the Central Divine Continent. The purpose of this conference was to resolve the increasing conflicts among the Three Sects and allow the Daoist sect to flourish even more.

Li Changshou wanted to avoid it because he had long foreseen the immense karmic repercussions this conference might bring. Indeed, it was no exaggeration to say that Li Changshou saw further than any expert below the Saints!

This Three Sects' Origin Conference aimed to trace origins, recall past hardships and appreciate present blessings, allowing the Three Daoist Sects to temporarily set aside their previous conflicts. It was intended for the Jie and Chan Sects to exercise more restraint, develop their own territories, and recruit disciples to spread their teachings, ushering in a more prosperous era for all three sects. Subsequently, the influence of the Three Sects would expand further, posing a threat to the stability of the heavens and earth, leading to the Heavenly Dao brewing an immeasurable calamity of slaughter... Wasn't this how the Investiture of the Gods began?

As for the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods, Li Changshou had already grasped the lifeline to safety and had no need to get involved further.

Therefore, in recent years, Li Changshou had prioritized improving the "Turtle Art" three times, refining this cultivation disguise method to an almost flawless degree! He had made so much effort for this feigned illness! Who knew... well, never mind.

With nine years remaining until the Three Sects' Origin Conference, a decision had to be made now. To go or not to go, that was a rather serious question.

During these three years of feigned recovery, Li Changshou had naturally not been idle. Some of his paper effigies were busy accumulating wealth and commencing the construction of "safe houses" outside the sect. Others were rotating defenses on the southern sea's edge, prepared to respond to the Western Sect, the Dragon Race, and Dong Mu Gong at any time. Cultivation certainly didn't fall by the wayside. Beyond cultivation, Li Changshou had dedicated these three years entirely to deducing the External Incarnation technique.

Borrowing the divine ability granted by Grand Master Xuandu to perfect his paper effigy technique, this path was not easy. True External Incarnation divine abilities were difficult to cultivate and could not be compared to Li Changshou's previous ingenious methods for his paper effigies.

However, as long as Li Changshou's current ideas could be realized, his paper effigies would undergo a qualitative change! There was one principle Li Changshou always kept in mind: for safety, paper effigies must never develop even a sliver of consciousness; they should remain mere divine artifacts. Li Changshou could not leave any hidden dangers around himself. In this regard, what inspired Li Changshou was actually a classic "TV series" he had watched many times in his previous life—"My Bald Monk Master Is Clearly Weak But Full of Romantic Fortune." Inside, there was a classic plotline: "The White Bone Spirit thrice mocks the Imperial Brother, and the Stone Monkey raises his staff in furious shame." At that time, the female benefactor, the White Bone Spirit, continuously changed her physical forms using demonic arts, harming mortal lives. The paper effigy technique Li Changshou desired was of this form—paper effigies like clothes. Only his true self, with one mind and one consciousness, would shift and traverse between them. Therefore, Li Changshou did not directly cultivate that External Incarnation divine ability, but instead spent more time and effort improving his own paper effigy technique.

The progress made during these three years of feigned bed rest was quite remarkable.

In the secret chamber beneath the alchemy room, Li Changshou sat in a round-backed armchair, his fingers gently tapping the table. Should he, after all, attend the Three Sects' Origin Conference as an ordinary disciple from a remote Daoist lineage of the Human Sect, or should he stir up some trouble again before departure to avoid the conference entirely? The sect summoning disciples for a meeting twelve years in advance... Li Changshou mulled it over and felt something was amiss. It was as if the entire sect was targeting him.

Li Changshou quickly decided not to make that decision for now. He would wait another four years for his "injuries to recover," then go to the Hundred Ordinaries Hall to continue burning incense and bowing to the Saint Grandmaster. If his Saint Grandmaster had secretly influenced the Immortal-Du Sect and arranged this matter, there might be other hints...

So, four years later, one afternoon. "The weather's quite good today." Li Changshou slowly flew back on a cloud from Dan Ding Peak. His immortal sense swept across, and he saw Ling'e and Junior Uncle acting suspiciously in the spirit beast enclosure.

Ling'e didn't need to attend the conference, but Junior Uncle, as the sect's true immortal representative, still had to go.

Within the Immortal-Du Sect, a tense atmosphere was circulating once again, even more so than before the sect's grand competition. The Three Sects' Origin Conference was imminent; in another three or four years, the Immortal-Du Sect's contingent would set off.

Today was the day Li Changshou "recovered from his injuries." He deliberately went to Dan Ding Peak first to visit Elder Wan Linjun, the lonely elder, chatted with him for a few hours, and took a walk before returning to Little Qiong Peak. Elder Wan did not see through his act...

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, looking down at his hands, and another idea formed in his mind.

He flew past Little Qiong Peak without landing, riding his cloud at a suitable altitude, and headed for the Daoist Scripture Hall on Sky-Breaking Peak. Half an hour later, Li Changshou returned from the Daoist Scripture Hall, a fleeting smile crossing his lips, and hurried back to Little Qiong Peak.

He had gone to visit Elder Qilin and thank him for coming to treat him when he was bedridden previously. Afterwards, Li Changshou shamelessly chatted with Elder Qilin for a while, finally confirming that his new version of the paper effigy had not been seen through by Elder Qilin! 'The divine ability granted by the Grand Master is truly remarkable.'

This new type of paper effigy of Li Changshou's had taken him half a year of painstaking effort. It now possessed the aura of a "living person," with four layers of cultivation disguise—shallow, low, medium, and high—like a mecha that could be disassembled at any time.

For Li Changshou, the greatest improvement in the new paper effigy was that its cultivation limit had reached the early stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm! In other words, relying on his honed multi-tasking skills, Li Changshou could simultaneously control three to four combat units, each possessing the fighting strength of a Heavenly Immortal.

For this purpose, Li Changshou had recently conceived the idea of a paper effigy elite squad, intending to use their coordinated efforts—main attack, support, poisoning, and distracting opponents—to fight and kill powerful Heavenly Immortals without sustaining injury. Of course, there had to be a necessity to act.

This paper effigy still had one fatal flaw, a problem Li Changshou's current realm could not overcome. Its immortal power could not regenerate on its own. Moreover, manufacturing this new type of paper effigy required three times more spirit tree sap than before, along with numerous precious spirit beast blood, and carried more of his primordial spirit power.

If this paper effigy self-destructed or was destroyed, Li Changshou would feel a slight pang of regret. However, all necessary restrictions still had to be in place. Li Changshou had previously experienced the benefits of self-destruction and self-detonation, so he was naturally hooked and unwilling to abandon them.

After returning to Little Qiong Peak from Sky-Breaking Peak, Li Changshou waited half a day, then hurried back to Sky-Breaking Peak.

This time, he went in his true form. Before the portrait of the Saint Grandmaster, he lit three tall incense sticks and whispered, "Disciple Changshou is troubled, unsure if he can fulfill his duty on this journey eastward to the Central Divine Continent." Several external affairs elders who overheard his murmur chuckled and nodded, their impression of Li Changshou improving slightly.

The Saint's portrait remained still, and no Daoist aura descended. However, threads of unfamiliar enlightenment suddenly appeared in Li Changshou's heart. These insights coalesced into eight simple characters, slowly surfacing in his mind, then swiftly dissipating as if they had never been there.

Stillness, Mindfulness, Non-action.Begin, Unite, Steadfast, Conclude.

This was... A Saint's admonition! Not only did the Saint Grandmaster recognize him, but he also personally issued instructions! Li Changshou was immediately invigorated. A decision formed instantly in his heart, and after three kowtows, he rose and departed.

At the same time, under the tree in the backyard of the Tushita Palace, Grand Master Xuandu blinked, his eyes filled with pure benevolence. "Teacher's method of transmitting insights to people through the Great Dao... It's truly effective, no less."

In the Central Divine Continent, at the Carefree Immortal Sect, one of the few Daoist lineages of the Human Sect. Within the sect's thickened yet smooth mountain-protecting array, on a bustling peak... An old Daoist, holding a whisk, floated towards the "stone house" where his beloved disciple cultivated daily. As he approached the stone house, the Heavenly Immortal realm old Daoist shuddered, instinctively setting up several layers of immortal power barriers around himself. After a moment of thought, the old Daoist took out a heart-protecting mirror and placed it on his chest, then retrieved a set of immortal light-shining armor and put it on. Having done all this, the fully armored old Daoist cautiously pushed open the stone house door, calling out, "Lingli, your master has come to tell you something."

Whoosh— A swift whooshing sound came from inside the door. A figure, as sturdy as an iron tower, was seen continuously wielding a long staff. This long staff, weighing three thousand jin and forged from Earth Profound Spirit Iron, felt as light as a Wutong wood branch in her hands!

The old Daoist called out again, this time using immortal power: "Lingli, your master has something to tell you!" The imposing figure turned around, revealing the face of a cute young girl, who was filled with joy upon seeing the old Daoist. "Oh, Master! You've come to see your disciple!" Before she finished speaking, perhaps due to over-excitement, the long staff flew from her grasp, heading straight for the old Daoist's face. The old Daoist's expression instantly changed...