Chapter 187: Pitiful Gift

What was happening tonight?

Inside the Immortal Du Sect, Junior Sister Youqin Xuanya stealthily made her way to Little Qiong Peak. Meanwhile, in the main temple of Anshui City, Fairy Yun Xiao quietly appeared in a flowing white dress. She walked with her hands behind her back through the empty hall, admiring the murals on the walls.

Was he really that charismatic?

Well, it was actually just a coincidence...

Life's four great delusions: I am very charismatic; my parents must be secretly wealthy and are just tempering my character; this investment is guaranteed to be profitable with no losses; and the man in front of me is definitely not a paper effigy.

Li Changshou, of course, wouldn't deceive himself.

Suddenly, Fairy Yun Xiao's soft voice echoed from the Sea God Temple: "Is he truly so young?" It sounded as if she was teasing him.

Li Changshou immediately felt a headache coming on, realizing that Fairy Yun Xiao must have already uncovered some of his secrets.

No matter how "poisonous" Youqin Xuanya was, she was merely a minor annoyance within Li Changshou's immediate social circle. Fairy Yun Xiao, on the other hand, was a true powerhouse who could effortlessly crush him!

Therefore, Li Changshou didn't hesitate and decided to prioritize dealing with the situation at the Sea God Temple.

As soon as Youqin Xuanya flew near the alchemy lab, she heard Li Changshou's voice transmission: "Junior Sister Youqin, please wait in the alchemy lab for a while. I've suddenly had some insights, and I need to process them first." With that, Li Changshou lay back in the rocking chair in front of the lab door, closing his eyes in contemplation, feigning enlightenment. A somewhat unprofound Dao aura wafted around him.

Youqin Xuanya immediately nodded in agreement, quietly landing in front of the lab and staring at Li Changshou for a moment... Then, she took out her meditation cushion and sat a few yards away, feeling the gentle night breeze as she quietly waited for Li Changshou to finish his cultivation.

Li Changshou kept a portion of his mind on Youqin Xuanya and observed... She was lost in thought, gazing at the moon, with a hint of daze in her eyes and a slightly melancholic expression. Sigh, he'd better have a good talk with this junior sister later. If necessary, he would become Youqin Xuanya's guiding light in the darkness...

Following this, Li Changshou activated the paper effigy beneath the Sea God Temple and continued to secretly observe Fairy Yun Xiao's every move through the main idol.

Before long, he heard Fairy Yun Xiao softly say again: "These stories are quite interesting indeed."

Li Changshou immediately began to analyze the multiple layers of meaning in her words, her tone, manner, and intonation, and what kind of mood and emotions they conveyed. Soon, he came to a conclusion—Fairy Yun Xiao... hmm, seemed to be in a good mood.

Li Changshou also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The murals Yun Xiao was looking at were not randomly created by the Sea God Sect's followers; they were Li Changshou's own work. In the early stages of the Sea God Sect's development, to enhance the cohesion of the Sea God Temple's followers, a group of "Iron Arm Horse-Riding Divine Envoys" led by the old village chief of Xiong Village, who were essentially a money-gathering syndicate, fabricated various "Sea God stories" that were full of loopholes. Stories like "The Sea God's Top Ten Must-Tells" and "That Night, the Sea God Slept with Me" were once popular in the southwest of Nanshan Continent.

When Li Changshou took full control of the Sea God Sect and began rectifying its internal affairs, he made a series of arrangements to address this issue. He eliminated most of these similar stories and legends, excising useless anecdotes such as "The Sea God Comforts Widow Wang of West Street Three Times" and "The Sea God and the Seven Sea Fairies." Next, Li Changshou selected twelve fables from the stories circulating in various places, meticulously detailing and enlivening them to make them sound more plausible. He then used the Sea God Sect's influence to actively intervene and promote them widely.

In this matter, Li Changshou's thinking was as clear as ever—If you can't resist fate, then lie down and accept the ridicule, then take hold of fate and shape it! Since he decided to manage the Sea God Sect, he would take every aspect of it into his own hands, minimizing the possibility of risks! Naturally, the Sea God's reputation could not be sullied in vain!

On the walls of the main hall of the Sea God Temple in Anshui City, these twelve magnificent murals depicted those twelve fables. Each mural here was based on Li Changshou's manuscripts and was painstakingly created over several months by numerous skilled mortal craftsmen. They held significant artistic value and became a template for other Sea God Temples in various regions. Among them, "The Old Man and the Sea God," "The Sea God's Three Pleas to Jingwei," and "The Sea God Sells His Cow" were the most beloved by pilgrims and followers, and their sequels were continuously developed...

Yun Xiao looked at each mural, occasionally nodding slightly and sometimes even chuckling softly. It seemed as if she had simply come here to visit and sightsee... In the vast main hall, only her figure slowly moved. The temple doors were tightly shut, and the Xiong Village divine envoys on duty outside naturally couldn't perceive the presence of such a powerful being.

While preparing the paper effigy, Li Changshou secretly observed Fairy Yun Xiao through the idol for a while, a silent exclamation of admiration rising in his heart: She was elegant and beautiful, truly extraordinary. She wore a simple white, flowing cloud-sleeved dress, its hem trailing at her feet. When she walked, it was as if white clouds drifted, conveying a serene and comfortable elegance. Today, Yun Xiao had not styled her hair into a cloud bun. Instead, it was simply tied up with a reversed hair clasp, making her appear less formidable and more gracefully serene than when she had appeared on Three Immortals Island previously. She walked slowly like this, with her hands behind her back, in front of the long candle stand, her beautiful eyes clear and bright, as if they could see through the confusion in people's hearts...

"What is Fairy Yun Xiao here for?" Li Changshou couldn't spare much time to admire the beautiful sight, his mind constantly pondering. To give him a thank-you gift for the previous incident? There must be some deeper meaning behind this... or perhaps Yun Xiao intended to draw in the Human Sect through him? As the Sea God Sect's leader and a minor Human Sect mage, Li Changshou had to consider this. While he admired Yun Xiao, it wouldn't cloud his judgment. After all, Yun Xiao was a top-tier mighty being beneath the Saints, and her words and actions would undoubtedly carry deep meaning. Their acquaintance was superficial, merely a single encounter, and Li Changshou didn't believe he had the opportunity to befriend such a powerful entity... A powerful expert of the primordial era with the temperament of Old Zhao was merely a small anomaly in the vast primordial world. The primordial world was mostly about schemes and calculations.

Li Changshou didn't dare to keep Yun Xiao waiting. The paper effigy, resembling an old immortal, appeared in the Sea God Temple's backyard and immediately flew on a cloud to the main hall, saying to the divine envoys: "You may withdraw for now." "Yes, sir!" The Xiong Village divine envoys immediately obeyed, bowing their heads and stepping back. Following this, Li Changshou flicked his whisk, and the temple's several vermilion-lacquered doors slowly opened. Li Changshou stepped inside with a smile and immediately performed a Daoist bow. The fairy, who was admiring the murals, gracefully turned around and gave Li Changshou a slight nod.

This detail... Evidently, Fairy Yun Xiao had already confirmed that he was likely a junior of the Dao Sect.

Li Changshou seized the opportunity to say, "I apologize for not being able to greet you properly, Senior. I wasn't aware of your esteemed presence." "You are too polite, fellow Daoist," Yun Xiao softly replied, stepping forward. "It is I who have been presumptuous, coming directly here without informing you beforehand."

Li Changshou nodded with a smile, a silent sigh escaping him. Truth be told, Fairy Yun Xiao's soft, gentle voice was truly pleasant to listen to... Unfortunately, he really didn't dare to have much interaction with the Sanxiao sisters.

"Senior, do you have urgent business, coming here in the dead of night?" "No urgent matters," Yun Xiao gently replied. "Last time, fellow Daoist intervened promptly and saved my elder brother and third sister. I am deeply grateful and wished to repay this favor."

Li Changshou silently gave the fairy another thumbs-up. Clearly, Yun Xiao was also the type of person who preferred not to get entangled in karma with others, which was somewhat similar to him. It was indeed a good thing that she proactively came to settle karmic ties.

"Senior, you overstate it," Li Changshou said solemnly. "Your presence here alone has given this junior immense face. The previous favor need not be mentioned." Yun Xiao slowly shook her head and said, "If you do not accept this gift, I fear my heart will not find peace. Please, allow me to complete this."

"This... then it would be impolite for this junior to refuse," Li Changshou said, performing a Daoist bow, a little puzzled inwardly. What kind of thank-you gift would Yun Xiao give him? Hmm, as long as it wasn't a karmic artifact like the Primordial Golden Dipper or the Golden Dragon Scissors, he could... reluctantly accept it...

Then, Yun Xiao extended her soft, jade-like hand, and a foot-long scroll appeared out of thin air in her palm. Yun Xiao smiled: "I heard from your Sea God Sect's Vice-Leader that you enjoy paintings. I am not a person of refinement; I only know cultivation, but I do have a few paintings in my collection. I offer this painting to you, fellow Daoist, to repay this favor."

"Thank you, Senior." Li Changshou bowed forward, taking the scroll with both hands, a sigh of relief in his heart. Just a painting... then there wouldn't be too much karma involved. He intended to put it away immediately, but then Yun Xiao softly asked, "Don't you want to open it and take a look?"

Li Changshou chuckled lightly. This was merely a paper effigy, so he wasn't too concerned about life safety; at worst, he'd just lose this bit of spiritual energy. At once, Li Changshou put away his whisk, held the scroll with immortal power, and carefully untied the cloth string, slowly unrolling the painting.

It was an ink landscape painting. At first glance, it appeared to be vibrant with rich brushwork, fresh, elegant, and imbued with continuous artistic conception. But then, Li Changshou's mind was drawn into it. Marvelous! Looking at the water, gentle ripples shimmered with faint light. Looking at the mountains, their peaks rose one after another, making one feel as if they were riding a cloud through the mountains... But as he continued to gaze, Li Changshou suddenly felt as if the water had come alive, with threads of light flowing within it, and white clouds emerging from the mountains, passing through his eyes and into his sea of consciousness. A Dao aura flowed from the ink landscape scroll, surrounding Li Changshou's paper effigy. At the same time, Li Changshou's main body in the underground secret chamber was also enveloped by a Dao aura.

This was... A scene suddenly appeared in Li Changshou's mind: A towering figure stood between the vast heavens and earth, raising a hand and unleashing a sword strike towards the sky. Within the sword light, a small world actually materialized... This... this is...

Suddenly, layers upon layers of insights flooded Li Changshou's mind, bursts of inspiration gushed forth like mountain springs, and his realm rapidly ascended! Not only that, Li Changshou's primary combat divine ability, Scripture-Writing into Method, was undergoing spontaneous changes, as if directly integrating that figure's sword strike towards the sky! This painting... what exactly is its origin!?

In the Sea God Temple, Yun Xiao showed a hint of surprise upon seeing this Dao aura appear. She thought to herself: "This Sea God possesses truly remarkable comprehension." This landscape scroll was bestowed upon her by her teacher, the Sage of the Three Pure Ones and Leader of the Jie Sect. It was originally one of the Grandmaster of Heaven's proudest works, and though it contained no divine abilities, it carried a wisp of his great Dao aura. Fairy Yun Xiao gave this painting to the Sea God simply because she heard Ao Yi say that the Sea God particularly enjoyed paintings. However, she never imagined that this mysterious Sea God, upon his first appreciation of the painting, would be able to comprehend the Dao aura left by her teacher...

Suddenly, a faint rumble of thunder seemed to emanate from within the Sea God's avatar, and Fairy Yun Xiao immediately displayed a gentle smile... This was a sign of a realm breakthrough.

In the underground secret chamber on Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou suddenly opened his eyes. Azure light shone around him, and twelve-petal lotuses condensed within the azure light, continuously blooming around him. Under the influence of that Dao aura, he directly perfected the Dao of the Heavenly Immortal! But at this moment, those subtle and profound wisps of Dao aura were still continuously granting him insights, stimulating the epiphanies in his mind. His cultivation was still breaking through barriers, directly surging towards the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm!

What in the world was this painting? If he directly ascended to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, wouldn't he immediately face the Golden Immortal tribulation? Wasn't Fairy Yun Xiao just causing him trouble?! He had only just begun preparing for the Golden Immortal tribulation, setting aside a three-thousand-year preparation period, and he knew absolutely nothing about the Golden Immortal tribulation! If he underwent the tribulation now, he would at most have a 70% chance of success. Wouldn't that be equivalent to seeking death for nothing?! How could this be allowed!?

Li Changshou screamed for it to stop in his heart, but that Dao aura was too formidable, forcibly dragging him towards the Golden Immortal tribulation... What kind of situation was this?

Li Changshou steeled his heart and immediately activated his emergency plan. His hands instantly formed seal gestures, and surges of immortal power burst forth, instantly shattering the desk and bookshelves in the underground secret chamber! Li Changshou sat suspended three feet above the ground, shouting aloud: "Taiqing Dao Severance! By my command!" A large azure sword suddenly materialized before him, with a Taiji diagram at its center. Li Changshou recited the "Taiqing Daoist Connotation," forcibly pushing away the overwhelming Dao aura in his heart, taking control of his breakthrough rhythm. He then seized the opportunity, added fuel to the fire, took out the jade talisman, and revealed the entire "Taiqing Daoist Connotation" before his eyes, rapidly reading through it!

At this moment, Li Changshou finally understood why he was receiving so many insights. That painting must have been created by the Grandmaster of Heaven! That unreasonable Dao aura was none other than the Grandmaster of Heaven's Primordial Limitless Supreme Pure Saintly Dao! Who could he even reason with about this?! Fairy Yun Xiao was just repaying a favor, and she directly gave away a Saint's true masterpiece?!

For a moment, within his Dao heart, the Dao auras of two great Saints intertwined. Li Changshou's insights were vast like smoke, and his cultivation instantly surged to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm! On Little Qiong Peak, fierce winds suddenly raged, the starry sky was instantly covered by dark clouds, and a vast heavenly might descended!

In the underground secret chamber, Li Changshou suddenly raised his hand, gripping the golden greatsword in front of him, and lightly shouted: "This Dao still has flaws. Today, I do not wish to become a Golden Immortal. I only seek the future perfection of my Great Dao, to achieve the profound realm of Da Luo! First severance, flaws in the Dao foundation! Second severance, obscure and unclear points! Third severance, fleeting and unstable aspects!" Li Changshou, holding the greatsword, brought it straight down onto his forehead, producing a sound like a grand bell and drum! The Great Dao trembled, and thunder roared within Little Qiong Peak!

"Pfft—" Li Changshou opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood imbued with colorful immortal light. As this blood gushed out, his realm rapidly plummeted from the Heavenly Immortal Realm peak to the Heavenly Immortal Realm mid-stage! Wisps of smoke floated from the blood, condensing into a phantom image of Li Changshou himself. Li Changshou waved his palm, directly shattering the phantom image! At that instant, outside Little Qiong Peak, the vast heavenly might instantly dissipated!

Severing the Dao to seek perfection, the Great Dao reveals its true essence! Insights continued to grow within him, once again pushing his cultivation upward, rapidly surging into the late stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, once again nearing perfection... Finally, this time he was just a hair's breadth away from perfection, and the two Saintly Dao auras quietly dissipated.

Just now... He had self-severed his realm to consolidate his Dao foundation. This method, called "Dao Severance," served to perfect the Dao foundation and was widely known in the primordial era, though it wasn't a formidable divine ability. As one's own Dao continuously developed, it was inevitable to have oversights, useless aspects, and lingering hidden dangers. This was something countless Qi Refiners longed to do but dared not; Li Changshou did it today! For an ordinary Qi Refiner, using this method to self-sever their Dao realm might result in a direct drop in major realm and self-destruction of their Dao foundation. However, Li Changshou's Dao foundation was solid and stable, cultivating the Great Dao passed down by the Taiqing Sage of Non-Action. Using the Dao Severance method, he only dropped to the mid-stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm and quickly recovered his original cultivation level by leveraging the two Saintly Dao auras... This was not a wasted effort. At this moment, Li Changshou's Dao foundation was as firm as a rock, his Dao realm incredibly stable, and his primordial spirit glowed with wisps of azure light, enveloped by pure Qi. Although his realm was the same as before, his strength had increased by at least 30%, and his confidence in overcoming the Golden Immortal tribulation had significantly improved... It was a blessing in disguise; he had unexpectedly discovered a good way to suppress his realm.

Finally... However, Li Changshou had no time to relax. He instantly reacted, sensing the changes in his two paper effigies. In the Sea God Temple, that paper effigy had fallen to the ground, turning into a mere paper cutout, its immortal power rapidly dissipating. In front of the alchemy lab on Little Qiong Peak, the paper effigy also revealed its paper essence, lying there as its immortal power dissipated. Yun Xiao was now urgently calling out "Fellow Daoist," while Youqin Xuanya was utterly bewildered and at a loss.

Just then, a golden light shot out from Potian Peak, rapidly streaking towards the Little Qiong Peak alchemy lab... Tsk, oh dear, things just got interesting.