Chapter 162: Bear People in the Open, Mingshou in the Dark

Yunzhongzi didn't have time to look closer before Li Changshou and Xiong Lingli were drawn into the Mountain and River Small World Map. The Fude Golden Immortal didn't pursue the matter further, continuing to gather the young disciples who had stood up.

Among the two disciples of the Human School who had just stood up, Xiong Lingli was naturally the most striking. Yet, she wasn't some beauty seen only once in millennia; she merely had half-witch and half-human blood. Yunzhongzi had lived so long, what hadn't he seen? Let alone half-witches, Yunzhongzi had even seen human Qi Refiners with two-tenths bloodlines of witches, demons, dragons, and phoenixes, respectively. Having seen so much, it was no longer surprising.

The Mountain and River Small World Map in the old immortal's hand appeared unchanged, but it already had many tiny black dots evenly distributed throughout its internal universe.

A moment later, no one remained standing by the lake. Yunzhongzi lifted the covering from his flower basket, and six precious pearls flew out. Under the old immortal's activation, the pearls emitted dazzling spiritual light. Then, Yunzhongzi tossed the map, which slowly drifted down to float above the small lake.

The six pearls flew to hover around the map, their immortal light swirling to form a thin cloud of mist above the lake. Within this mist, scenes from inside the map appeared, a continuous stream of images.

Yunzhongzi stroked his beard and said calmly: "Fellow Daoists, extend your immortal consciousness into these pearls. You can view the entire panorama within the map and freely explore any part of it."

With that, the lean old immortal carried his flower basket and returned to the Chan School's viewing platform on the immortal island. He had merely displayed a set of spirit treasures, yet it drew endless admiration from the immortals everywhere. The Chan School's Fude Golden Immortals were truly extraordinary!

Although the combined power of "precious pearls plus the Small World Map" was only a fraction of the true innate spirit treasure, the Mountain and River State Map, to refine spirit treasures of such power using acquired materials could already be called a 'peerless skill' in the primordial world!

For a moment, the young disciples who had not yet become immortals and had not entered the map looked up, watching the scenes displayed by the cloud mist above the lake. Below, various immortal consciousnesses delved into the six pearls, observing the performance of their disciples. Meanwhile, the grandmasters from the three main sects, the 'origins', casually enjoyed the proceedings within, mostly watching for entertainment.

Grandmaster Xuandu sat alone, cross-legged in the high-altitude clouds. He had cast a divine ability upon himself; anyone whose cultivation was not at the Da Luo Golden Immortal level could not perceive his true form. At this moment, Guangchengzi and Duobao Daoist, the leading disciples of the Chan and Jie Schools respectively, were also secretly observing the Human School's Senior Brother.

Guangchengzi was not truly the chief disciple of the Chan School in the strictest sense; he had entered the sect after Antarctic Immortal Weng. However, since Antarctic Immortal Weng served alongside the Saint Master, Guangchengzi was responsible for managing the Chan School's affairs, and his authority within the sect surpassed that of Vice-Sect Master Randeng. Thus, he was mostly referred to as the chief disciple.

Others might not know, but Guangchengzi and Duobao Daoist understood the immense respect their masters held for Grand Pure Old Lord, the head of the Three Pure Ones. And how protective Grand Pure Old Lord was of his own. Among the Human School's famous supreme treasures, such as the Taiji Diagram of Yin and Yang, the Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, and the Wind and Fire Cushion—which of them had Grandmaster Xuandu not used? For this reason, Duobao Daoist and Guangchengzi showed extra respect and attention to their Senior Martial Uncle's only disciple.

They saw Xuandu with a slight smile on his lips, sitting with closed eyes, presumably probing the situation within the map.

'Who is Senior Brother Xuandu watching?' This question arose simultaneously in the minds of Duobao Daoist and Guangchengzi. A brief calculation yielded no results.

At this moment, the Grandmaster's gaze was naturally fixed upon a certain obscure young disciple of the Human School. With the Grandmaster's abilities, he could directly observe Li Changshou's every word and action through the map. Not only that, Xuandu could even deduce who else was simultaneously observing Li Changshou with him. Although at present, he was the only one. But it didn't matter. A Human School disciple like Li Changshou, who was less than two hundred years old yet had already passed his tribulation and ascended to the Heavenly Immortal realm, and was even close to the Golden Immortal realm, was bound to shine brightly!

'I should take this opportunity to observe this little fellow carefully. If his character truly matches what he displayed when he spoke with me before, then I can arrange for him to enter the Tushita Palace and persuade Master to take on another junior disciple. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have him represent the Human School in such events in the future?' As Grandmaster Xuandu thought of this, the smile on his lips deepened.

Meanwhile, on the Jie School's immortal island, Zhao Gongming, who was seated at the front of the crowd, couldn't help but yawn. Watching these young disciples fight was truly boring. With such free time, he'd rather go back to the Sea God Temple and find that old Sea God brother to discuss the path of 'Alas, this injury won't heal for tens of thousands of years.' This time, he would bring his sister Qiongxiao along and let her interact more with the South Sea God, so she might suffer fewer losses in the future.

Within the map's universe, in a remote mountain forest. Li Changshou sat behind a large rock, and Xiong Lingli, who had been drawn in with him, *was* that large rock.

'A map with limited scope; a group of people trapped inside; needing to search everywhere for treasures, and if they met each other, they had to fight to determine victory or defeat...' This situation felt familiar. This mode suddenly reminded Li Changshou of games he often played in his previous life that involved survival and elimination. That game had different names for different players: 'Instant Defeat Upon Landing,' 'Quick Delivery Service,' 'The Prone Player's Feast,' or 'Survival by Hiding,' among others. Of course, this was no 'game'.

Li Changshou's immortal consciousness spread out, already detecting the presence of many unfamiliar disciples. Initially, everyone was very cautious; after a brief probing of each other, they quickly retreated. Moreover, under the watchful eyes of all, even if they fought, it would only be to determine superiority, not to unleash a bloody battle. The wise move was to gather treasures, which was somewhat safer. Of course, the safest approach, as taken by Li Changshou, was to find a nearby corner and hide. Li Changshou decided to find an even more secluded spot later to continue hiding and wait until the very end. But Li Changshou couldn't help but ponder further...

"Sea... Cousin," Xiong Lingli, who was curled up with her knees hugged, quietly asked, "How long are we going to hide here?"

"Until the very end," Li Changshou transmitted, "Now, mentally repeat 'Cousin' five hundred times, so as not to reveal the whereabouts of this avatar."

"Okay," Xiong Lingli nodded seriously, closed her eyes, and began silently reciting and counting.

Li Changshou opened his left palm and pressed it onto the ground covered with sparse green grass, carefully sensing. He had read in ancient texts that to refine a small world, the most fundamental requirements were perfect Five Elements and balanced Yin and Yang. His Earth Escape technique could be freely used in this small world within the map. However, the ground here felt somewhat thin, and the sky rather low, so he couldn't exert too much force.

'Should I go help Poisonous Junior Sister and the others? If the sect could gain a few more spirit treasures, it would be a good thing.' Li Changshou considered it, then dismissed the idea, deciding to remain hidden first before doing anything else. It was time to display his true hiding technique.

When Xiong Lingli whispered, "Cousin, I'm done reciting."

"Lingli, do you know any escape techniques?"

"No..."

"Then it's fine. I'll move underground in a moment, and you follow my telepathic instructions to walk on the surface. We'll find a place to hide and avoid conflict with these people."

"Oh, okay," Xiong Lingli dutifully agreed.

Li Changshou used his Earth Escape technique, hiding underground. He gave Xiong Lingli a direction, letting her move openly while he remained hidden, heading towards the edge of the map's small world. If not for the abundance of powerful experts outside, preventing Li Changshou from freely using his divine abilities, it would definitely be Xiong Lingli in the open, the Paper Daoist in the shadows, and his true body hidden on the Paper Daoist. This way, the safety factor would be a little higher.

Originally, Grandmaster Xuandu had been quite expectant, hoping to see Li Changshou encounter others, engage in combat, and display some divine abilities and spells. When Li Changshou burrowed into the ground and moved with Xiong Lingli, Grandmaster Xuandu inwardly thought, 'This fellow is truly interesting,' and continued to watch Li Changshou for half an hour.

Gradually, a hint of doubt arose in Grandmaster Xuandu's mind. 'What is he hiding from? Besides him, there are only two or three True Immortal realm cultivators here.'

Finally, when Li Changshou found a crevice in a rock in a valley, burrowed inside, set up two layers of illusionary spells outside the rock, and had Xiong Lingli hide in another rock pit a hundred *zhang* away, the smile vanished from Grandmaster Xuandu's lips, and he couldn't help but twitch a few times.

'Instead of seeking out others to fight and make a name for himself, he's hiding here like a block of wood?' Grandmaster Xuandu was slightly exasperated, yet suddenly, he had a realization. This fellow was somewhat similar to his Master in temperament; perhaps this was why he had gained his Master's attention.

But... Grandmaster Xuandu, without changing his expression, gently wiggled his finger.

Within the map, two demonic beasts near Li Changshou's hiding place simultaneously shivered. They rushed out from their freshly warmed new lairs, traversing mountains and valleys, heading towards that valley. Almost as soon as the two demonic beasts began to move, Li Changshou's immortal consciousness locked onto them.

Demonic beasts are those among demons that are unwilling or unable to take human form. They typically absorb the essence of the sun and moon to enhance their cultivation. Many demonic beasts have not yet developed full sentience, but they are formidable in combat and lethal. The two demonic beasts now rushing towards the canyon were at roughly the Yuan Immortal realm, originally intended for the disciples' training.

Li Changshou pondered inwardly, already realizing that someone might be trying to test him. After a thought, Li Changshou took out two bottles of lower-grade poisonous pills from his sleeve, while simultaneously telepathically instructing Xiong Lingli. Xiong Lingli immediately jumped out, turned, and fiercely punched the mountain wall twice, dislodging a large quantity of broken rocks, from which she selected a few suitable ones.

A moment later, the two demonic beasts charged into the valley, demonic energy billowing, roaring incessantly! A giant blue-patterned python several dozen *zhang* long, and a demonic tiger with wings beneath its ribs and wisps of black smoke swirling around it, both fixed their gazes on Xiong Lingli! Xiong Lingli said nothing, her tower-like physique brimming with astonishing strength. She held two massive rocks, glaring at the two demonic beasts.

The two demonic beasts, without hesitation, roared and charged forward. Attracted by the commotion, dozens of immortal consciousnesses also extended to investigate. These immortal consciousnesses observed: A demonic tiger flying in mid-air and a demonic python slithering on the ground, almost neck and neck, had already reached fifty *zhang* in front of Xiong Lingli, about to pounce in an instant.

Just then, Li Changshou unhurriedly transmitted: "Smash."

As soon as his voice fell, the two demonic beasts paused their movements. The python reared its head and hissed, while the tiger fell headfirst. Xiong Lingli spun around, whirling the two massive rocks in her hands. She unleashed them forward with a fierce throw, and the two millstone-sized rocks shot out with a sharp whoosh!

Thump! Thump! The python's head was directly flattened, and its massive body toppled backward. The demonic tiger met an even more miserable end, directly smashed to the ground by the rock. Its body convulsed a few times before it stopped moving.

Done. Li Changshou didn't move his butt an inch from beginning to end. And those immortal consciousnesses observing the scene all marveled at Xiong Lingli's divine strength.

Outside the map, Grandmaster Xuandu raised a hand to rub his brow, secretly shaking his head, and continued searching for demonic beasts and fierce beasts nearby. He refused to believe that he couldn't force Li Changshou to act today!

Soon, several more demonic beasts charged towards the valley. Li Changshou frowned, called out to Xiong Lingli, who was drooling over the demonic tiger and python, and almost without thinking...

Fled.