Chapter 180: Daoist Fortune, Continuing for a Hundred Million Seconds

When Wen Jing Daoist left, she was no longer as distraught as before. However, it was clear that she was burdened with worries and felt a strong urge to vomit. Of course, this wasn't because Li Changshou had done anything to her; his presence there was merely a paper avatar in the Celestial Immortal realm, which the Mosquito Daoist could easily crush. What made her nauseous were the Great Dao oaths she had just sworn! Having made two such Great Dao oaths in a matter of hours, even Wen Jing Daoist couldn't help but develop some inner demons and lingering shadows in her heart.

What truly made Wen Jing Daoist feel that she couldn't outwit the Sea God of the South Sea were two things she belatedly realized after leaving.

First, Li Changshou instructed her to return to the Western Sect and continue serving them diligently, acting as if nothing had ever happened. This indicated that the Human School and the Heavenly Court were not interested in her power itself, but rather her current position within the Western Sect. In other words, while the Western Sect believed their actions were flawless—constantly sowing discord among the three schools and recruiting demons for their own use—the Grand Pure Saint had long known about these affairs. This mysterious Grand Pure Saint had begun to scheme against the Western Sect, and Wen Jing Daoist had become a hidden chess piece, to be deployed as needed.

"The world is a chessboard, all beings are chess pieces; only Saints can play the game." Wen Jing Daoist had heard such words countless times, but today, she understood their meaning more profoundly than ever.

Second, after leaving the Southern Continent, Wen Jing Daoist suddenly came to her senses. From the moment she was unexpectedly targeted by the Three Fiends of the Jie Sect, to being intercepted by the Sea God of the South Sea, and finally being drawn in by him to become a pawn of the Human School and the Heavenly Court—every step, every link, had been under his control. Her only initiative was the choice between life and death.

What chilled Wen Jing Daoist even more was that while she was drinking, she had inexplicably developed a degree of trust in this Sea God of the South Sea! She even felt that the Sea God of the South Sea shared her misfortunes. Upon reflection, she realized she had been completely manipulated. In the end, all she knew was that the Sea God of the South Sea was a hidden master of the Human School; she knew nothing else about him. This Sea God was far more mysterious than the Grand Master Xuandu.

"Hmph! Putting on airs!" Wen Jing Daoist sneered. "Sooner or later, you'll know what I'm capable of!" She tore off her plain white silk skirt and reverted to the revealing gauze dress that Fairy Qiongxiao had deemed scandalous. Her figure then vanished, leaving only a faint buzzing sound in the mountain ranges bordering Western Niu He Continent and Southern Continent.

At the same time, Li Changshou let out a sigh of relief. "That wasn't easy..." To ensure that Wen Jing Daoist would "suck" that something in the future, he had directly tricked her into joining the Heavenly Court, thereby providing the Jade Emperor with a pre-arranged hidden weapon. This action was like... wanting a stable fishing spot, so you buy out the entire fishpond. However, all other methods he could think of were less secure. Compared to them, this current path was the most stable, and he could persuade His Majesty the Jade Emperor at a later opportunity, ensuring no further worries.

By the time of the Investiture of the Gods calamity and the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, Li Changshou wouldn't need to do much. The Grand Pure Saint would give the mosquito a subtle hint, allowing her to secretly consume the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus while the two Western Saints were away. That would be considered a complete success. Li Changshou waited for a while, and the Saint Grandmaster did not give further instructions, which meant that the Saint Grandmaster approved of his handling of the situation. If the Saint Grandmaster had been dissatisfied, he would have warned him before the events unfolded.

Wen Jing Daoist was a poisonous blade, meant only for covert use; if not handled properly, it could easily backfire. Having tricked Wen Jing Daoist this time... *Tsk*, if she knew that he was merely a minor disciple of the Immortal Ascension Sect, and his true cultivation was only at the Celestial Immortal realm, would she go mad and try to kill him? He also needed to find a way to curb this unhealthy trend started by Uncle Zhao. Currently, the incidents caused by Uncle Zhao had begun to influence the original trajectory of the Investiture of the Gods calamity, and might lead to even greater, more troublesome issues in the future!

But how could this be resolved? Zhao Gongming and Qiongxiao were not like the Mosquito Daoist. The Mosquito Daoist was already estranged from the Western Sect and had no other retreat; if he offered her a way out, she would naturally bite the bait.

In the wine shop, Li Changshou's paper avatar let out a few involuntary bitter laughs. "This is difficult..." Throughout the city, the teachings of the Sea God Sect were being vigorously spread, creating a thriving atmosphere. Li Changshou used Samadhi True Flame to burn away the wine cup and pot, erasing all traces from the location, then quietly departed.

To stop this "feigned injury" trend, he needed to start from the Jie Sect itself. Who could rein in Uncle Zhao? The Saint Grandmaster. Should he really try to alarm Sect Master Tongtian over such a minor matter? That would be... too risky! This incident, where Zhao Gongming "feigned injury" on the Mosquito Daoist and the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus barely survived, taught Li Changshou a profound lesson: Every cause has its effect; retribution is unavoidable. In the future, if karmic debts arose, resolving them as soon as possible was the only correct approach!

Tricking Wen Jing Daoist this time also came with another hidden benefit. The Dragon Race ascending to the Heavenly Court was like a grand play, with roles divided into protagonists and antagonists. Now, Li Changshou, with his right hand, could influence the Dragon Race's decisions through the 'protagonist' Ao Yi; and with his left hand, he could influence the Western Sect's actions through the 'antagonist' Wen Jing Daoist. He felt as though he had leaped from being a mere errand runner for a film crew to becoming an assistant director and screenwriter, now able to scheme and plan many times more effectively!

However, Li Changshou had profoundly recognized the value of going with the flow: inaction, tranquility, and acting in accordance with circumstances were the only ways to minimize karmic entanglements. To be on the safe side, he would try his best not to contact Wen Jing Daoist in the future, simply waiting for developments to unfold. As for how he should categorize Wen Jing Daoist... She was a formidable expert, nothing more.

At the Three Sects Origin Conference, Li Changshou sat quietly, opening his eyes just a slit to observe his surroundings. After whispering a few instructions to Xiong Lingli via sound transmission, he closed his eyes and concentrated again. He began to ponder word by word the details of his conversation with Wen Jing Daoist. As he carefully replayed it, he quickly discovered a minor detail. Wen Jing Daoist's final mention of wanting to meet Grand Master Xuandu seemed to carry some deeper meaning. Li Changshou had initially thought Wen Jing Daoist was merely using this to further confirm that the Grand Pure Saint was behind him. But upon closer reflection, he recalled Wen Jing Daoist's gaze, expression, tone of voice, and the slight tremor in her final syllable. Could it be that the Mosquito Daoist had a slight interest in the Grand Master?

Oh dear, oh dear... If Grand Master Xuandu, the oldest pure-yang human, truly became the target of this formidable primeval female fierce beast... Heavens above! This had absolutely nothing to do with him, Little Master Xuandu! Li Changshou sighed softly in his heart. This Primordial World was indeed as dangerous as he had thought, yet also more thrilling than he had imagined.

Since the Saint Grandmaster gave no further instructions, Li Changshou tentatively assumed his "correction" task was complete. For the remainder of the conference, he stayed dutifully at the Three Sects Origin Conference site, pretending to continuously gain insights while meditating with his eyes closed. In reality, he was pondering the next steps for perfecting his paper avatar and the "external preparations" he could make for transcending the Golden Immortal tribulation. Although he had recently gained continuous benefits and his financial reserves had gradually grown, he would return to his usual relaxed cultivation rhythm once back at the mountain. Opportunities were hard to come by, so he still needed to rely on refining pills to accumulate wealth, continuing his Little Qiong Peak "wandering" plan.

A few days later, the East Sea Dragon Palace sent messengers with a hundred chests of various precious materials for array formations, which made Li Changshou feel a pang of guilt. Although he had deliberately set up the Dragon Race, they were far too generous; they had given too much. This would make him feel a little more remorseful when he schemed against the Dragon Race in the future.

Half a month later, Ao Yi eagerly established a divine sense connection and met him in a dream, his first words being: "Brother Leader, my wedding date has been set! It's in just twelve years!" To Li Changshou, the word "just" was quite vivid and expressive in its usage. Li Changshou encouraged Ao Yi with a few words and also inquired about the Dragon Race's recent situation. The sea tribes of the four seas were constantly causing trouble, but the situation remained within a controllable range. However, the Dragon King had already issued an order: using Ao Yi's wedding as an opportunity, the Dragon Race would consolidate their rule over the four seas, demonstrate their might to the sea tribes, and carry out several "making an example of someone to warn others" actions before Ao Yi's wedding.

Li Changshou pondered for a moment. The Dragon Race naturally had their own considerations, but such actions, while perhaps suppressing sea tribe rebellions in the short term, would lay down greater hidden dangers for the Dragon Race itself. However, Li Changshou understood his position and could not stop the Dragon Race from stirring up trouble. If the Dragon Race did not suffer losses and experience pain, how could they smoothly ascend to immortal positions in the Heavenly Court?

After chatting with Ao Yi for a while, the two ended their divine sense communication. Just three days later, Lord Dongmu arrived with a verbal imperial decree from His Majesty the Jade Emperor and met with Li Changshou. His Majesty the Jade Emperor had agreed that the Matchmaker Immortal would go to congratulate Ao Yi on his wedding day. However, the capacity in which the Matchmaker Immortal would attend, and whether an invitation should be sent to the Heavenly Court in advance, all needed careful consideration. Li Changshou had already made proper preparations for this, and he now thoroughly explained these details to Lord Dongmu. Lord Dongmu barely had time to settle in before hurrying back to the Heavenly Court to report.

This was precisely:"For the strongest delivery service in the Primordial World, seek King Dong at the Heavenly Palace!"

Subsequently, Li Changshou communicated with Ao Yi via divine sense again, asking Ao Yi to send him an extra invitation when issuing them. During this divine sense conversation, Ao Yi shyly made a small request. "Brother Leader, could I bring Sisi to visit you in a few months, after you all return to the Immortal Ascension Sect?" Sisi was the mermaid princess's nickname.

"Oh?" Li Changshou asked sternly, "Are you two facing any difficulties?"

"Well," Ao Yi chuckled twice, his youthful face flushed with embarrassment, "I always mention how amazing Senior Brother Changshou is in front of her... Brother Leader, you are the person Yi respects the most, so I just wanted to bring Sisi to meet you."

Li Changshou was speechless. What was there to meet about? He couldn't get too familiar with this sister-in-law. However, having just received a hundred chests of lavish gifts from the Dragon Race, Li Changshou felt awkward refusing, so he agreed to a date and solemnly accepted the request.

As the three-month-long preaching period neared its end, this rather ordinary Three Sects Origin Conference finally drew to a close. The purpose of this conference was for the immortal sects of the three schools to gather, trace their origins, and reflect on their past hardships and current blessings. From the outset, major figures from the Jie Sect, Chan Sect, and Human School had appeared, and the objectives of the Three Sects Origin Conference had already been achieved.

On the 108th day after the conference began, the sect masters of the five hosting immortal sects appeared together, bowing in Daoist salute to all present. Immortal cranes soared from various parts of the basin, hundreds of beautiful fairies flew around, scattering flowers manually, and melodious music drifted from the lakeside. At such a scene, even Li Changshou couldn't help but hum a few lines of "Unforgettable Tonight" in his heart.

Suddenly, a golden light appeared in the sky, and auspicious clouds flew from all directions, quickly condensing into three enormous, ethereal figures between heaven and earth. These three figures were merely simple outlines: the one in the middle seemed to be an old Daoist, the one on the right appeared to be a dignified middle-aged Daoist, and the one on the left resembled a young Daoist with a sword on his back. An elder Golden Immortal immediately shouted, "Disciples pay respects to the three Saint Masters!" Instantly, figures across the basin knelt down, kowtowing to the three forms solidified from auspicious clouds in the sky.

The next moment, all Qi Refiners present, regardless of their cultivation level and according to their respective origins in the three sects, heard the word "Good" spoken in old, middle-aged, and young voices. The hundreds of immortal sects and tens of thousands of Qi Refiners who had attended the conference were inexplicably moved. As soon as the Saints' presences briefly manifested, the auspicious clouds descended, and each immortal sect received a cloud. The experts of the three immortal sects performed divinations with their fingers, all immensely surprised and delighted, as each sect's luck and fortune had increased! Daoism, which had already flourished for many years, seemed capable of continuing its prosperity, becoming even more magnificent and thriving!

However, Li Changshou couldn't help but ponder more deeply... What flourishes must eventually decline. The moment the great fortune of the three sects reached its peak might very well be the instant the Investiture of the Gods calamity was destined to arise. With that, the conference concluded.

Half a day later, the Immortal Ascension Sect group returned to their treasure ship. The Sect Master gave a brief instruction and then returned to the top-floor suite of the treasure ship where a wonderful story had once unfolded. Li Changshou found his usual spot in the corner of the ship's stern and walked over with Xiong Lingli.

Youqin Xuanya seemed to have something to say but hesitated, watching Li Changshou's back and gently blinking. *I must be careful in front of others; will this affect Senior Brother Changshou? After returning to the mountain, I'll go to Little Qiong Peak to apologize to him...* Youqin Xuanya sighed inwardly and, no longer daring to gaze at Li Changshou's back, carried her Fire Scale Sword Box into the cabin, found a corner, and sat down to meditate with her eyes closed.

However, just as Li Changshou reached the stern, a sudden change occurred! He heard a soft cry:"Overwhelming—Mountains—Toppling—Seas!"

A figure darted out from the side, burdened with great evil and weighed down, yet still nimbly bypassing the sturdy girl Xiong Lingli, pressing her small hands onto Li Changshou's back. With two soft taps, these two slaps naturally carried no force.

"Hahaha, finally back! This Martial Uncle was stifled! Quick! Changshou, hand over the little trinkets you're carrying! This Martial Uncle has been tolerating you for a long time!"

Upon hearing this, Li Changshou's eyes immediately crinkled into a smile.