Chapter 257: Sending Senior Uncle… Setting Off

In the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, several refined and amicable old dragons were so enraged by the conversation in the Sea God Temple that they cursed continuously and profusely. Meanwhile, the East Sea Dragon King sat quietly, a rare sharp glint appearing in his dragon eyes. Even the Dragon King was somewhat angered.

However, Golden Cicada, the instigator of the old dragons' fury, was unaware of the extent of his actions at that moment. What was even more intriguing was that, as long as there were no Western Sect moles among the dragon ministers watching this 'live broadcast,' the Western Sect would remain ignorant of the matter later on. Without anyone knowing, Golden Cicada had completely pushed the Dragon Clan towards the Heavenly Court. (The West Sea Dragon Palace, which had already been largely infiltrated, was an exception.)

In the Sea God Temple, Li Changshou swept his whisk, and after saying, "Please return," he turned and walked towards the back hall, leaving Golden Cicada with a graceful departing back.

Golden Cicada was momentarily stunned, instinctively clenching his fists, his gaze like two sharp blades, as if trying to pierce Li Changshou's avatar. What was the meaning of this? Was he being played for a fool?

"As long as you prove you're from the Western Sect, I will discuss it with you." He swore an oath. "Excellent, you've successfully proven you're from the Western Sect, but there's nothing to discuss about this matter." What kind of unconventional methods did the Human Sect use?!

"Sea God! Please wait!" Golden Cicada gritted his teeth and called out.

"Go back, young man," Li Changshou flicked his whisk, and layers of mist appeared around him, his figure vanishing within them. While it appeared mysterious, it was merely a simple mist-generating spell combined with an earth-burrowing technique.

When the mist dispersed, Li Changshou's presence had completely vanished; the somewhat dazed Golden Cicada could only vaguely perceive that the Sea God's avatar had gone to the Sea God Grand Temple in Anshui City.

"Young man?"

"Hmph! Farewell!" Golden Cicada snorted coldly, turned and left, his face as gloomy as water as he departed. If not for his Vice-Sect Master's warning that this South Sea Sea God was the Human Sect's third most important figure, and that harming him would offend the Grand Pure Saint, inevitably incurring the wrath of the Human Sect... he would have certainly smashed this dilapidated temple today!

As he left the secluded Sea God Temple, Golden Cicada felt as though he had fallen into the Sea God's scheme... But for a moment, he couldn't pinpoint what exactly had gone wrong.

Li Changshou's divine sense, attached to his statue, watched Golden Cicada's back rapidly disappear into the horizon, and he chuckled inwardly several times. 'This Golden Cicada is truly an indispensable talent for the Western Sect's prosperity.'

In the play just now, his strategy had only shown a tiny bit of its effectiveness. The reason the effect was so excellent was entirely because Golden Cicada was arrogant and looked down on the Dragon Clan from the bottom of his heart. It wasn't that his schemes were profound, but rather that the enemy had buried their own allies!

Li Changshou had understood this principle long ago. No matter what, the Dragon Clan was once a dominant power in ancient times, occupying vast lands of the Primordial World for long ages, thereby accumulating immense foundations. The Dragon Clan fought to the bitter end with the Phoenix and Qilin Clans, and even now, after the ancient era has passed, the dragons still hold a place in the Five Continents—this is proof of their inherent strength. Everyone says the Dragon Clan has declined, but what they lack is only merit and fortune; thinking about it another way, given that the Dragon Clan shoulders karma and lacks fortune, the fact that they are still a significant force in the Primordial World today doesn't that prove their power even more?

This 'live broadcast of the Western Sect's conspiracy' was accomplished by the Dragon Clan's experts, who deceived Golden Cicada's senses. This matter must also serve as a warning: underestimating an opponent will ultimately come at a cost.

"To feast on dragons...""Taking two from each direction, east, west, north, and south..."

Such words were openly shouted as slogans; the Dragon Clan must have been absolutely furious. But for Li Changshou, Golden Cicada was simply providing divine assistance! The matter of the Dragon Clan ascending to the Heavenly Court immediately took a significant step forward.

In the Heavenly Court's Sea God Residence, Ao Yi hurried to the main house again. This young dragon's face was also ashen, so enraged that he nearly ground his teeth to dust.

"Brother Grand Master!"

"Hm?" Li Changshou quietly watched Ao Yi, who tried to speak several times but stopped, finally just sighing in dejection.

Ao Yi said, "Over there, there are Saints, and they are always the butchers." With that, Ao Yi slowly sat down in a nearby wooden chair, soon closing his eyes with a long sigh, his young face filled with helplessness.

"Have the Dragon Clan deepen their ties with the Heavenly Court as soon as possible," Li Changshou said. Ao Yi nodded in agreement, and then, neither the dragon nor the man spoke further.

Ao Yi now needed encouragement and comfort, not grand principles. Li Changshou could only sigh softly in his heart. It's rare to achieve both in this world: not to fail the Jade Emperor and not to fail Ao Yi!

Half a day later, Ao Yi requested leave from the Tongming Palace, under the pretext of inspecting the East Sea on behalf of the Sea God, and left the Heavenly Court to return to the East Sea Dragon Palace. Another half day later, Ao Yi communicated with Li Changshou via divine sense, informing him of the Dragon Clan's reaction to the matter. They were undoubtedly very angry; but their anger could accomplish nothing, only futile rage. The Western Sect was presided over by two Saints, so unless the Dragon Clan wished to be annihilated, they could only vent their frustration by suicidally attacking Spirit Mountain. (A slight struggle when being manipulated by a Saint was entirely different from actively attacking them and causing them to lose face.)

As of now, Li Changshou's greatest fear, the 'Saints' intervention,' had not yet occurred, so the situation was not yet irreversible.

"Brother, my father is quite calm. The elders, though visibly agitated, repeatedly pulled me aside and exhorted me to maintain a good relationship with you."

"Ao Yi, the Dragon Clan is currently going through a difficult period. You might as well bring your siblings and reside in the Dragon Palace for a while, frequently visiting your father and mother." Li Changshou cautioned, "Listen more, observe more, and speak less about everything. As long as your father doesn't speak, you don't need to involve yourself in anything."

Ao Yi mused for a few moments, his face showing a hint of difficulty, and he whispered, "Brother, my mother asked me to inquire how our Dragon Clan can obtain some divine positions in the Heavenly Court..."

"This matter requires His Majesty the Jade Emperor's approval," Li Changshou said, having anticipated the Dragon Clan's question. "I will find an opportunity in the coming days to visit His Majesty and inquire about this. If His Majesty the Jade Emperor agrees, merely bestowing some low-ranking divine positions could greatly alleviate the Dragon Clan's situation."

Ao Yi immediately brightened upon hearing this, and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Brother!"

"Go and rest, don't worry too much. I will inform you immediately if there's any news." Li Changshou gently advised him, Ao Yi made a Daoist bow and hurriedly took his leave.

Originally, Li Changshou wanted to murmur a few words about how he was running low on precious materials for array refining recently... But considering Ao Yi's mood at the moment, he felt too awkward to ask for such a favor. One must have some conscience!

Li Changshou didn't delay further; his avatar in the Heavenly Court immediately headed to the High Heavens Palace. After a Heavenly General announced him and the Jade Emperor granted an audience, Li Changshou entered with lowered head, and presented the pre-prepared memorial to His Majesty the Jade Emperor, requesting a batch of low-ranking divine positions for the Dragon Clan.

What the Heavenly Court could influence in the functioning of the Heavenly Dao were only the hundreds of official divine positions. As for these low-ranking divine positions Li Changshou requested this time, while it wasn't a matter of getting as many as one wished, the Jade Emperor approved dozens with a casual wave. Li Changshou thought for a moment, and then advised the Jade Emperor not to grant too many at once. Consequently, the Jade Emperor approved sixteen divine positions as Sea Patrol Protectors, subordinate to the Sea God's position, to be arranged and distributed by Li Changshou himself.

This decree would later enter the Tongming Palace, and would take approximately ten years to materialize according to the process. At that time, Li Changshou would personally go to the Dragon Palace to select sixteen minor Heavenly Court deities... Thus, the overall situation for the Dragon Clan was settled! Next, he only needed to proceed step by step according to the plan, and eventually, by enfeoffing the Four Sea Dragon Kings into the Heavenly Court, the great task would be accomplished.

"My esteemed Aiqing Chang Geng." The white-robed Jade Emperor sat on the high platform, smiling as he said, "This matter has made such pleasing progress again; has there been another turning point?"

"Your humble servant dares not deceive Your Majesty." Li Changshou then meticulously recounted the scene in the Sea God Temple to the Jade Emperor. To be safe, Li Changshou did not mention Golden Cicada's name, to avoid getting entangled in any strange karma.

The Jade Emperor clapped his hands and laughed heartily after listening. "Hahaha! Chang Geng, your methods are simply too... too unexpected!"

Li Changshou narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying softly, "These are merely some trivial, undignified tricks, along with a lack of shame, that's all."

The white-robed young man stood up, slowly descended from the high platform, and chuckled: "Let me think carefully about how to reward my esteemed Aiqing this time!"

Li Changshou hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, it would be better to defer the rewards until this matter is concluded. We still need to proceed slowly, step by step. It won't be too late for your humble servant to request your rewards after completing the entire task."

"Excellent," the Jade Emperor nodded with a smile, standing before his jade desk and gazing at the empty High Heavens Palace. "Chang Geng, how long must I wait until divine generals and immortal officials gather here in full force..."

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be rushed."

"Indeed, it cannot be rushed," the Jade Emperor chuckled softly. "With you, Chang Geng, assisting me, I have no worries."

Li Changshou: ...(Apologies, your humble servant only wants to be a slacker accumulating merit.)

Naturally, these words could not be uttered aloud. Not only that, Li Changshou also had to appear to have a slight ripple in his composure, yet strive to remain calm.

Li Changshou carefully chose his words and smiled: "Your humble servant merely acts according to Your Majesty's will and Your Majesty's commands, performing deeds beneficial to the Heavenly Court. I dare not claim credit nor view myself too highly."

The Jade Emperor couldn't help but be amused, "Oh, you... By the way, Chang Geng, there's something else I need to ask you."

"Your humble servant is listening."

"That Heavenly General who plants beans near the Tushita Palace, whose name seems to be Bian Zhuang, has he recently received a reward from the Grand Master?" The Jade Emperor frowned and said: "In recent days, my avatar has heard people mention this matter several times."

Li Changshou smiled, "Well, that is indeed true to some extent."

"Oh?" The Jade Emperor's eyes lit up, smiling as he said, "Since the Grand Master considers him a promising talent, I shall make good use of him."

Li Changshou explained, "This matter is for Your Majesty to decide; your humble servant dares not say more. That day, Bian Zhuang's hoe simply broke, and the Grand Master had a boy give him a rake; it was nothing major."

The Jade Emperor nodded slowly, but he already had a plan in mind. Whether Bian Zhuang was lucky enough to obtain a magical treasure or was truly favored by the Grand Master, it didn't matter. What was important was that the Jade Emperor wanted to use this incident to his advantage, to make his own statement, thereby expressing his respect for Old Monarch of Tushita Palace. There was no other way; the Jade Emperor also needed to curry favor with the Grand Pure Saint right now.

Li Changshou was well aware of this, so he stopped short with his words, not interfering further, nor exposing the underlying intention. Bian Zhuang, the future 'Second Senior Brother,' should soon experience a wave of promotions. The position of Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng might very well stem from that rake.

Li Changshou soon took his leave from the High Heavens Palace, his paper avatar returning to his immortal dwelling, still ready to be summoned at any moment. The matter of the Dragon Clan could be temporarily set aside. Although it was highly probable that further variables would appear later, at this moment, he could divert most of his energy to focus on preparing for his Golden Immortal Tribulation. With Immortal Wuxing's tribulation, Li Changshou's heart had become somewhat restless.

Among the elixirs obtained from Old Monarch, Li Changshou had selected an 'Enlightenment and Clear Mind Pill' for Elder Wan Linyun; however, this elixir could only be refined after he had overcome his Golden Immortal Tribulation and achieved the Dao Fruit of Longevity. As long as its quality was maintained at rank five, there was hope to help Elder Wan Linyun break through his bottleneck; whether he could reach the Golden Immortal Tribulation depended on the elder's own destiny.

To return a favor, to remember the source of one's blessings. Elder Wan had taught him the Poison Scripture back then, and now helping Elder Wan break through his realm was naturally repaying karma, as it should be. Furthermore, an elder proficient in the path of poison advancing to Golden Immortal realm... Just thinking about it was particularly exciting!

Next, Li Changshou began to procure spirit herbs, his avatar traveling throughout East Victory Divine Continent, acquiring them at great cost. (He planned to refine two more types of elixirs that he might use during his tribulation.) His life was at stake, allowing no room for error. This time, when refining elixirs, Li Changshou was uncharacteristically fully concentrated, afraid of wasting these expensive and rare immortal herbs.

On another note, after Immortal Wuxing overcame his tribulation and achieved the Dao Fruit of Longevity, he went into seclusion with Patriarch Jiang Lin'er, presumably for a long period. Besides consolidating his realm, Immortal Wuxing also intended to help Jiang Lin'er advance her cultivation. One partner achieved longevity, while the other still had to calculate her lifespan limit—this was the most helpless and awkward aspect of a Daoist partnership.

Before Jiang Lin'er entered seclusion, she specifically came to find Li Changshou and Ling'e, entrusting the matter of the small tree spirit's reincarnation to Li Changshou. Li Changshou considered it and agreed. He now had acquaintances in the Underworld, so using a back door there shouldn't be difficult. Hmm, the Wu Clan enjoyed meat, and his Little Qiong Peak's spirit beast enclosure and spirit fish farm would probably prove useful again this time.

This little tree spirit had lived freely on Little Qiong Peak for over a decade, living a little longer than its expected lifespan. Once Li Changshou had prepared all sorts of elixirs needed for his tribulation, along with backup elixirs and backup backups, the little tree spirit chose its moment, flickering weakly, and among the other tree spirits... passed on.

At that time, Li Changshou, Ling'e, Xiong Lingli, and Jiu Jiu waited quietly nearby. When the tree spirit's ethereal body dissipated, Li Changshou acted, using a specially made soul-capturing artifact to collect the tree spirit's already somewhat incomplete soul. Fortunately, after over a decade of pampered life and abundant food on Little Qiong Peak, its true spirit had fully recovered, and it could now directly reincarnate.

Li Changshou didn't delay, intending to make a trip to the Underworld immediately. This time, Jiu Jiu volunteered to accompany him. Li Changshou advised her to cultivate within the mountain, as it was too dangerous outside; but Jiu Jiu, relying on her peak True Immortal realm cultivation, employed her ultimate technique—bursting into tears. Li Changshou could only concede defeat, allowing his paper avatar to bring more emergency preparations, tripling the number of backup paper figures, and accessing a few small hidden reserves.

Half a day later, sitting on his Senior Aunt's large gourd, the two of them hurried towards the East Sea Heavenly Pillar. Due to Senior Aunt Jiu's insistence on going, their estimated arrival time in the Underworld would be delayed by another day or two.