Chapter 279: White-Clad Heavenly Emperor's Killing Intent Arises

The army set out, heading straight for the West Sea.

Li Changshou’s paper effigy followed closely beside the Jade Emperor’s avatar, yet he was multitasking, constantly pondering matters concerning Daoist Lu Ya.

In the alchemy lab on Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou picked up a wooden token from his simulated immortal life, sighed, and tossed it back.

This is so tough.

It’s truly a struggle.

Daoist Lu Ya, who, during the Great Tribulation of the Gods, was as notorious as Daoist Randeng, constantly stirred up trouble, directly caused the death of Elder Zhao Gongming, and ultimately managed to escape unscathed – I've now encountered him at this very moment!

And he’s just a minor disciple of the Human Sect, having only recently entered the Golden Immortal realm after a few centuries of cultivation!

Not only have we met, but our respective positions dictate that we must be at loggerheads...

Yet, I am currently no match for Daoist Lu Ya, nor can I seize the opportunity to eliminate him and sever this karmic tie.

I must find a way, absolutely!

“Which faction does this Daoist Lu Ya belong to at this moment?”

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, mulling it over in his mind.

Or perhaps, Daoist Lu Ya cultivates by relying on the accumulation of the demon race and hasn't pledged allegiance to any faction?

Although the Demon Court has fallen, the legacy left by the demon race should not be underestimated, such as the Chaos Bell—also known as the Eastern Emperor Bell—which escaped into the Chaos Sea.

If Daoist Lu Ya truly is a former prince of the Demon Court, then it's highly probable he has acquired the 'wealth' of the demon race.

When the world was created, Great God Pangu's eyes transformed into the sun and moon, becoming the Lunar Star and the Solar Star, suppressing the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth.

According to ancient legends, Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi of the Golden Crow clan were born from the Solar Star. They possessed immense power and their own supreme treasures, later becoming the Demon Emperors.

Di Jun and the Demon Empress Xi He had ten sons, who were the ten princes of the demon race. All ten demon princes possessed true Golden Crow forms and could briefly transform into solar stars.

The war between the Lich races lasted for half of the ancient era, intermittent, with periods of fighting and rest.

During a period of quiet in the Lich War, a demon prince made a wager with the great Witch Kuafu, competing in foot speed and flight, which led to the legend of Kuafu Chasing the Sun.

According to human records, at that time, Kuafu was about to win the wager when the ten demon princes cheated, flying out of the Fusang tree and transforming into ten suns, scorching the earth. This secretly troubled Kuafu, causing him to die of thirst.

This gave rise to the idiom of 'ten suns in the sky'.

The Witch race had a great archer named Hou Yi. He raised his bow and shot down the suns, killing nine Golden Crow princes. A powerful demon arrived in time and saved the tenth son...

This is the widely circulated tale of Hou Yi Shooting the Suns in the Primordial World.

It's worth noting that Hou Yi shooting the suns wasn't exactly as human legends portray it—that Hou Yi was enraged because the ten demon princes had scorched countless humans to death.

This was merely a result of human accounts later habituating to a human-centric perspective.

After Hou Yi shot the suns, the Lich War erupted again, and heaven and earth once more plunged into endless conflict.

As for the 'tenth Golden Crow son' who narrowly escaped, there had been no news of him since, and after the fall of the Demon Court, his whereabouts became completely unknown...

Today, the Heavenly Court came to the West Sea to suppress demons, and Daoist Lu Ya's proactive intervention surprisingly exposed his origins.

In retrospect, Daoist Lu Ya today showed ample cunning but lacked composure, making him completely unworthy of being compared to Randeng, the Vice-Sect Master of the Chan Sect.

“Lu Ya, Six Crows?The demon prince who escaped back then might not have been the youngest, the tenth son.”

In the alchemy lab on Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou rose and paced back and forth, meticulously contemplating what had just happened in the West Sea and analyzing its potential future repercussions.

If Li Changshou could have avoided stepping forward earlier, he naturally would have preferred not to.

Leaping forward to block the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger was by no means a reckless act; it was the result of careful deliberation and consideration...

The key was that Li Changshou couldn't ascertain the exact relationship between the Jade Emperor's avatar and his true form.

According to the most prevalent avatar cultivation methods in the Primordial World, if an avatar is severed, the true form suffers significant damage. If the Jade Emperor were to be severely injured without cause, the consequences would undoubtedly be uncontrollable.

At best, the Jade Emperor would be furious and eliminate Lu Ya at all costs, drastically altering the script of the Great Tribulation of the Gods, and the Sages would sense it prematurely;

Referring to the previous incident with Daoist Wen Jing, it would likely trigger other karmic repercussions.

At worst, the Jade Emperor would weep bitterly, turn around, and go to Zixiao Palace to complain to the Dao Ancestor.

“My Lord! Some scoundrel from who-knows-where can bully your disciple; being the Jade Emperor is too humiliating!”

Then, the Great Tribulation of the Gods would begin prematurely, the Three Daoist Sects would be entangled in tribulation, and the three Sages would cast gentle gazes upon himself and Daoist Lu Ya...

The mere thought of it is terrifying!

Furthermore, the Jade Emperor has a nature that responds to force with force, so it would be highly unlikely for him to swallow such an insult.

This was in his jurisdiction as Sea God, and the Jade Emperor's avatar had been 'invited' through one of his memorials. If something truly went wrong, Li Changshou would bear an undeniable responsibility.

Li Changshou dared to use his paper effigy to block the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger precisely because of its unique properties.

A paper effigy possesses only a small amount of primordial spirit energy, yet it can link in real-time with one's own primordial spirit. One's consciousness can reside within it, disregarding distance and ordinary array barriers.

Li Changshou found it difficult to explain this principle clearly.

When he was researching paper effigies years ago, he explored it step by step, stumbled upon this discovery almost by accident, and then began using it.

However, having worked with paper effigies for so many years, Li Changshou's understanding of their characteristics was extremely thorough.

He only charged forward at that time because he had a certain degree of confidence.

Furthermore, the way magical treasures harm people is never without trace.

If the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger directly targeted the head, then his paper effigy would simply be destroyed;

If the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger directly severed the primordial spirit, his paper effigy had no primordial spirit to sever.

Li Changshou had naturally considered the faint possibility that the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, a great weapon that would gain notorious fame in the future Great Tribulation of the Gods, might charge over via a 'spiritual link'...

Therefore, the moment his paper effigy blocked in front of the Jade Emperor's avatar, Li Changshou already had the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir clasped in his hand, ready to call upon the Sages at any moment!

After the first paper effigy was severed, Li Changshou quickly summarized his findings, realizing that the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger wasn't as 'frightening' as he had imagined.

Firstly, it was indeed a sharp weapon for severing primordial spirits.

It first fixated the primordial spirit, then severed it, and finally took the head.

When the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger struck, Li Changshou saw surging waves of blood. His paper effigy was unable to retaliate and had already been destroyed.

However, his true primordial spirit, far away on Little Qiong Peak, remained unharmed, though a slight sense of dread lingered in his heart.

This was like his paper effigy being able to withstand 'ten' damage, while the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger inflicted 'nine hundred ninety-nine' damage, only destroying the paper effigy more thoroughly without any other consequence.

Thus, Li Changshou's confidence grew. Finally, to make Lu Ya leave sooner, he even uncharacteristically boasted...

Today's Lu Ya was indeed quite different from the 'mysterious Daoist' of the Tribulation of the Gods, who 'with a casual word, caused Elder Zhao to tragically die in his bed'.

Even before meeting Daoist Lu Ya, Li Changshou had been extremely wary of this Daoist who wielded the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger in his left hand and the Seven Arrows Book with a Nail-headed Effigy in his right.

His unexpected encounter in the West Sea today did not lessen Li Changshou's apprehension; instead, it deepened it.

The current Daoist Lu Ya definitely still has the potential for further improvement!

The Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger also seemed imperfect; its method of fixating the primordial spirit needed improvement, which appeared to be a prerequisite for its activation.

And then there's the somewhat mysterious Seven Arrows Book with a Nail-headed Effigy...

“Honestly speaking, should I subtly plot for Elder Zhao to get rid of Daoist Lu Ya ahead of time?”

As soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, Li Changshou stroked his chin and immediately dismissed it.

If he were to truly do so, and Elder Zhao failed to kill Daoist Lu Ya but instead formed a karmic grudge with him, wouldn't that align precisely with Zhao Gongming's destined fate?

To be safe, he couldn't interfere too much with the affairs of the Tribulation of the Gods at this time.

Li Changshou had been contemplating this issue, and now he finally had some insight.

To save Elder Zhao's life, he absolutely couldn't interfere too much or too early. He had to let Elder Zhao reach his destined tribulation, and then, when he was being deified, slightly alter the method of his ascent to heaven.

There's a great deal of subtlety involved here.

If one is killed and a wisp of their primordial spirit ascends to the Investiture of the Gods, they will become a puppet of the Heavenly Dao thereafter, and any decree from the Jade Emperor will be forcibly executed by the Heavenly Dao.

However, if one's physical body directly ascends to the Investiture of the Gods, like Li Changshou, they serve in the Heavenly Court and can leave if they wish, possessing the most basic 'right to choose'.

Of course, the most tragic fate is to be killed and unable to ascend to the Investiture of the Gods; that is a purely wasted death.

To save Elder Zhao, the safest time to intervene would be during the Great Tribulation of the Gods, just before Elder Zhao faces his destined calamity.

That way, karmic ties would be minimized, requiring only a slight alteration to the 'form' of Elder Zhao's ascent to heaven...

“For now, I am still not firmly established in the Heavenly Court. It's better to diligently fulfill my role as Sea God. All those other matters can be discussed later.”

Li Changshou sighed softly, burying these thoughts in his heart, and fully devoted himself to his current 'primary duty'.

Protecting his side's Grand Marshal Ritian!

Subsequently, wherever the Jade Emperor's avatar went, Li Changshou's avatar followed.

This was a Golden Body of Merit, a Golden Body of Merit separate from the main body...

Even a bump or a scratch would result in golden merit powder scattered everywhere!

Li Changshou desperately wanted to discuss with the Jade Emperor: if he helped the Dragon race ascend to the Heavenly Court, he wouldn't ask for anything else, just for His Majesty the Jade Emperor to custom-make a Golden Body of Merit for him!

Dream on, dream on.

The combined forces of the Heavenly Court and the Dragon race swept in. The demons of the West Sea offered a symbolic counterattack before scattering and fleeing.

However, all escape routes from the Primordial World had been completely sealed off. Their frantic dashing around merely gave the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals more ground to cover.

According to the Heavenly Court's official statement—

This battle raged fiercely, a life-and-death struggle that plunged both sides into utter chaos, while the creatures of the sea churned joyfully.

Soon, the Jade Emperor's avatar, who had been fighting valiantly, hacking at demons with his sword, suddenly turned and looked at the old immortal who had been keeping within three zhang of him...

The Jade Emperor's avatar transmitted a message: “Chang Geng, my esteemed minister, what are you doing!”

“Your Majesty, please continue fighting; there’s no need to worry about your humble servant,” Li Changshou replied with a smiling nod, transmitting: “Your humble servant will guard by Your Majesty’s side, so that Daoist doesn’t launch a sneak attack.”

The Jade Emperor's avatar transmitted: “My esteemed minister, do not worry... never mind.”

Looking at the kind-faced, smiling old man standing before him, the Jade Emperor found it impossible to maintain his Heavenly Emperor's dignity. He turned and continued to lead his army forward.

Li Changshou thought for a moment, then took two paper effigies from his sleeve and threw them out. They transformed into two silver-armored strong men, who followed on either side of the Jade Emperor, each wielding a sword or spear, fighting fiercely and guarding the Jade Emperor's avatar.

Providing full-spectrum, nanny-style combat service!

During the great battle, Li Changshou also discovered a few promising candidates for Heavenly Generals.

For example, his own second Sect Master Ao Yi, silently led a contingent of Dragon race soldiers, tackling the toughest challenges and slaying the strongest great demons, his true Azure Dragon form constantly surging.

Even 'Marshal Tiandou' Bian Zhuang, who 'falls in love with everyone he meets', managed to secure the position of a minor general this time, leading two thousand Heavenly Soldiers in continuous charges.

Surprisingly, Bian Zhuang genuinely displayed a masculine demeanor during the battle, and his nine-toothed rake was indeed a formidable weapon of war.

It was unclear if Bian Zhuang possessed divine powers for fighting in water, but his movements were even more agile than on land. Beneath his nine-toothed rake, he had virtually no worthy opponent, except for those ancient old demons!

Li Changshou secretly noted all of this down, intending to report it to His Majesty the Jade Emperor later.

Talent should be utilized; the Heavenly Court currently lacks this.

However, Li Changshou eventually realized that recording these things was utterly useless.

Half a day later, the fighting in the West Sea briefly ceased. The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals merged with the Dragon race forces, then swept through the depths of the West Sea from south to north.

The Jade Emperor's avatar finally indulged his craving for being a great general, returning to sit in the central command, which truly brought a sigh of relief to Li Changshou.

He needed to find a way to prevent the Jade Emperor from staging such 'imperial expeditions' in the future.

This large army patrolled the Four Seas for half a month, killing and capturing deep-sea demons, and incidentally attacking several sea tribe rebels.

The Dragon race grew increasingly trusting of the Heavenly Court, and the Dragon elders looked upon the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals with great goodwill.

Then Dong Mu Gong declared: “Now the deep-sea demons have been expelled, and the Four Seas are peaceful and clear!”

The Heavenly Court's inaugural military campaign, lasting only sixteen days, concluded with great fervor.

No sooner had Dong Mu Gong finished speaking than golden rays appeared between heaven and earth. The Heavenly Dao descended merit, transforming into a sky-filling golden rain that showered upon the Heavenly Court and the Dragon race army!

The originally somewhat tired Heavenly Soldiers, upon being touched by the golden rain, immediately became invigorated;

And the Dragon race's immortal jiao soldiers, shrimp soldiers, and crab generals, touched by the light rain, were inexplicably excited.

The merit bestowed by the Heavenly Dao was determined by two factors: first, the contribution made during this campaign, and second, the rank of one's divine position, thus determining the amount received.

On the Dragon race's side, Ao Yi received the most merit. A wisp of golden light pillar was absorbed by him, and his own cultivation realm slightly increased.

Other Dragon elders and masters each received more than ten golden 'feathers', their karmic sins slightly cleansed, and all, to varying degrees, showed their excitement.

Though the merit was small, it represented hope.

A Dragon elder shouted loudly: “The Heavenly Dao has responded, bestowing merit! Our Dragon race can finally gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao once more!”

However, in the entire scene, only Grand Marshal Ritian and Li Changshou were unaffected by these golden lights.

Such a small amount of merit was useless to His Majesty the Jade Emperor, and the Heavenly Dao wouldn't grant him individual merit for this matter.

As for Li Changshou...

On Little Qiong Peak, a golden pillar of light descended from the sky, ignoring the Immortal-Ferrying Sect's protective mountain array, and directly struck Li Changshou's head.

Even though this golden light flashed quickly, disappearing in an instant, it still attracted considerable attention.

Fortunately, Sect Master Ji Wuyou promptly flew out from the Immortal-Ferrying Hall, stood above Little Qiong Peak, and, under the scrutiny of various immortal senses, murmured to himself:

“Excellent, the Great Golden Light Array I set up here has proven effective.”

Thus, he helped conceal Li Changshou's situation.

Ji Wuyou was helpless; the situation just now clearly indicated that Grand Master Xuandu was bestowing merit upon young Changshou.

Alas...

Deep roots truly bring good fortune.

Meanwhile, on the way back to the Heavenly Court, Commander Hua Ritian deliberately slowed down on the cloud path, inviting the Sea God to join him.

“Chang Geng, my esteemed minister, this Lu Ya is troublesome. I see his luck is not weak, and he likely has the blessing of the demon race's resurgence. He will probably be a difficult character to deal with in the future.

Why don't you and I put our heads together now and devise a complete plan to eliminate him as soon as possible...”

Marshal Ritian subtly waved his hand, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Li Changshou blinked, then understood the source of the Jade Emperor's murderous intent.

Tsk, the former prince of the previous dynasty.