Chapter 288: Endless Path of Immortal Research, Every Step Sparks Spiritual Explosions

Before leaving, Li Changshou solemnly entrusted the last gift from the Heavenly Court to Yu, to be passed on to Suiren.

Elder Suiren had no family in Huoyun Cave, so Li Changshou could have kept this last gift for himself, but ultimately, he couldn't do that.

Besides…

As a fourth-rank Heavenly God, a Dao listener in the Tushita Palace, and the Sea God trusted by the Jade Emperor, would he lack immortal peaches?

He could never have enough of the fruits yielded by innate spiritual roots!

Unfortunately, Li Changshou had already carefully considered that to maintain his persona as a "distinguished Human Dao master," he couldn't show too much desire.

He truly yearned for those peaches.

According to Heavenly Court rumors, immortal peaches could extend the lifespan of cultivators below the Golden Immortal realm. He wondered if they would be effective for his master, who was a turbid immortal.

Ling'e had not yet become an immortal; eating immortal peaches would generally be more harmful than beneficial, as her body might not be able to handle such potency.

Bidding farewell to Huoyun Cave, he took the path to the Heavenly Court.

Li Changshou did not immediately rush to search for his "destined spiritual treasure."

Although he held profound respect for the Human Sovereigns, for the sake of caution, he still needed to conduct several investigations beforehand.

One should neither disbelieve entirely nor believe completely.

Furthermore, although the great Fuxi did not divine his true form's origins, he only gave him a map. If the "destination" were revealed, his true form's previous location would also be exposed.

Li Changshou truly needed to ponder carefully how to acquire this treasure.

He carefully replayed everything he had seen and heard during this trip.

Having visited seven human sages this time, the most memorable one was naturally Yu, with whom he was most familiar.

After all, they had stood together on a small boat for three days and three nights, which, according to Yu, meant they had endured hardship together.

Elder Yu's hydrological treasure map and the Sea-Calming Divine Needle meant that Li Changshou now owed him a debt of gratitude and karma.

Elder Fuxi had given him clues for the treasure he sought, but Li Changshou couldn't be certain if it was the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin.

He felt that Elder Fuxi had anticipated his every move.

The precious pearl given by Elder Shennong should be a Five Elements treasure. At present, he couldn't determine if it was an innate object, but later, he could use it to increase the yield and income for the Heavenly Court's grand bean-planting endeavor.

It was unlikely he could bring it back to Little Qiong Peak; if the pearl were recognized, the flaw would be too obvious.

Li Changshou showed ample respect and caution to each retired Human Sovereign.

Having been Human Sovereigns in ancient times, these elders were certainly not simple-minded individuals.

In the future, he wondered if he would still have dealings with Huoyun Cave. It was highly probable he would.

Clouds drifted into the ethereal expanse, unhindered by heavenly winds.

Before long, the Middle Heavenly Gate was visible in the distance. Li Changshou rode his cloud forward, where soldiers stepped forward to salute, verify his identity, and thoroughly inspect his entry and exit jade slip.

Seeing the meticulous demeanor of these Heavenly Generals, Li Changshou immediately felt much more at ease.

He even gave a mental thumbs-up to Hua Ritian, the "Heavenly Court Discipline Commissioner"!

Upon ascending the High Heavens Palace, Li Changshou reported his success, presenting the jade slip he received from Elder Fuxi. The Jade Emperor then formally decreed the promotion of "sacrifices to Heaven and Earth" in the Southern Continent.

With Li Changshou's Sea God Sect as a foundation, this matter would not be too difficult to start. However, while guiding mortals to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, it could also easily affect the incense offerings of the Daoist sects.

Li Changshou would still need to take the lead on this matter later, using the name of the Human Dao to negotiate with the chief disciples in charge of the Chan and Jie sects. This way, the Heavenly Court would avoid the accusation of "disrespecting Daoist Saints."

Li Changshou wanted to ask his master to handle this matter. Since the Jade Emperor's decree had not yet solidified, there was no need to rush.

Every decree from His Majesty, the Jade Emperor, took several decades, even centuries, to materialize.

He wasn't sure if it was due to his ascension as the Sea God and the Dragon race receiving a small number of low-level divine positions, but the connection between the Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Court had become deeper.

According to the reports from the Immortal Officials of Tongming Hall, the speed at which the Jade Emperor's decrees solidified had increased by a full... ten percent.

Li Changshou's trip was naturally not "in vain." Although he had already gained many benefits in Huoyun Cave, His Majesty the Jade Emperor still had to bestow rewards.

The Jade Emperor bestowed several treasures for decorating residences, which could be disregarded.

The Heavenly Court bestowed a small amount of merit, not as much as when he successfully suppressed demons in the South and West Seas last time.

This matter was merely a prelude; a large amount of merit could be earned later.

Li Changshou requested leave to return to his residence and await further summons. His Majesty the Jade Emperor smiled as he watched him depart.

Heavenly General Hua Ritian was already waiting near the High Heavens Palace. After coincidentally meeting Li Changshou, they rode clouds together back to the Sea God's Mansion.

The two avatars met eyes on the cloud and simultaneously employed the traditional Heavenly Court technique: direct voice transmission.

Hua Ritian asked, "Sea God, my dear subject, during your trip to Huoyun Cave, did you happen to meet Human Sovereign Suiren?"

Li Changshou replied, "Does Your Majesty have something to discuss with this senior? This senior seems to be recuperating from injuries, so your humble servant did not meet him."

"Before I became the Heavenly Emperor, I once, by my teacher's command, underwent trials in the mortal reincarnation cycle and also served under Suiren."

A hint of emotion appeared in the Jade Emperor's eyes as he sighed, "I didn't expect his injuries still haven't healed even now."

Li Changshou thought for a moment and asked, "May your humble servant presumptuously inquire about Your Majesty's current cultivation level?"

"Your Majesty, please don't overthink it; your humble servant is simply concerned that..."

"Haha, my dear subject, there's no need to be nervous. Such a question is understandable, as the matters you must consider are exceedingly complex."

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "Let me put it this way.

As long as I am within the Heavenly Court, no one can harm me, unless my teacher and my elder martial brothers and sisters arrive in person."

The Jade Emperor's strength was indeed unfathomable, and with the protection of the Heavenly Dao, he was truly different from other experts.

This eased Li Changshou's mind somewhat.

The Jade Emperor then inquired about dealing with Daoist Lu Ya, asking Li Changshou if he had devised any good strategies.

Li Changshou had recently been busy searching for the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin and hadn't given much thought to this matter. He could only give a perfunctory answer, subtly expressing his concerns to the Jade Emperor.

There was likely a Saint behind Daoist Lu Ya. Unless they seized a weakness of Lu Ya's, leaving him speechless and allowing them to immediately eliminate him on the spot, it would be very difficult to get rid of him.

In short, the difficulty was immense.

The Heavenly Court lord and minister continued their voice transmission discussion until they reached the Sea God's Mansion. Hua Ritian then took his leave, content.

'His Majesty, the Jade Emperor, is quite concerned about Lu Ya.'

Li Changshou smiled, raising an eyebrow.

Piloting his Sea God paper avatar back to the Sea God's Mansion, Li Changshou took out the two spiritual treasures he had received from Elder Yu and pondered them carefully.

For him, the greatest use of this Sea-Calming Divine Needle was the power of merit contained within it.

However, extracting the power of merit was not easy, and Li Changshou didn't know the exact procedure, so he could only temporarily put the iron rod away.

It truly echoed the saying...

"What good is this iron rod to me?"

Li Changshou was quite fond of the hydrological map.

But after a brief divination, he felt that this treasure map seemed beneficial for matters concerning the Dragon race, so he was not in a hurry to refine it into a treasure for combat.

Putting away the treasure map and preparing to shift his attention back to his true form, Li Changshou suddenly had a realization:

Guided by this map, he could later enfeoff many dragons to become 'Water Gods' of rivers, lakes, and seas!

This was another significant amount of merit that could be obtained, but was not yet in his grasp.

With his mind returned to his true form, Li Changshou stood before his alchemy furnace, slightly distracted.

'If His Majesty the Jade Emperor could bypass me, the Sea God, and secretly eliminate Daoist Lu Ya, that would be perfect.'

This way, he wouldn't have to bear the karma nor worry about being 'named' by the Saint.

The Investiture of the Gods Tribulation would also undergo slight changes because of this; at the very least, the terrifying Seven Arrows Book could be removed from the stage prematurely.

'The Heavenly Dao maintains balance; such perverse evil spells should not exist.'

Li Changshou performed a quick divination, searching his memories.

In the Investiture of the Gods story, when the Zhou side sought to eliminate Zhao Gongming, Daoist Lu Ya gave the Seven Arrows Book to Jiang Ziya, who then performed rituals to curse Grand Master Zhao to death.

However, in the legends he had heard, there was no mention of Jiang Ziya paying any price.

The destiny of the Son of the Tribulation?

The great merit of the Investiture of the Gods?

Considering Jiang Ziya's ultimate fate, which was merely to become a high-ranking official in the mortal realm and enjoy wealth and glory, unlike Li Jing, Nezha, Yang Jian, and others who severed their mortal attachments to become Heavenly Gods...

Perhaps there was some unknown karmic relationship involved.

"No more dwelling on it."

First, acquire the treasure.

Li Changshou raised a hand to pat his cheeks, trying to invigorate himself. He snapped his fingers at a box on a nearby bookshelf, summoning several thick paper avatars, into which he carefully injected immortal power.

The treasure-hunting paper avatar squad, launching its second sortie!

Li Changshou actually always had a question: Could the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, as he knew it, be changed?

He only needed to find the 'destined treasure of opportunity' that the great Fuxi had divined for him, and see if it was indeed the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin. Then, he might find the answer.

If he truly managed to obtain the Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin, then the future Investiture of the Gods Tribulation would inevitably be slightly different from what he knew.

Most likely, the general direction would remain unchanged, but minor details could be altered.

While his true form meditated in the alchemy room to restore immortal power, Li Changshou's consciousness piloted a chauffeur paper avatar, leading over twenty treasure-hunting paper figures, and sped off towards the southwest.

Traveling sixty-six thousand units south and thirty-three thousand units west, he would simply apply the Pythagorean theorem. A straight line was naturally the shortest path.

The landmark he needed to find was 'Beheaded Mountain,' which was a large mountain without a peak. Such mountains were common throughout the Great Desolation, and a single battle between powerful experts could easily create many.

The paper avatar traveled swiftly using earth evasion. The first half of the journey was smooth, and upon completing it, he easily found the 'Beheaded Mountain' revealed by the great Fuxi's divination.

But upon arriving near this mountain, Li Changshou couldn't help but frown deeply.

This place was near the border between the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory and the Central Continent, still within the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory. Within a thousand li radius, demonic aura surged, and he could faintly perceive several rather powerful aura pressures.

Where was this place?

Was the treasure he sought located here?

Li Changshou controlled the chauffeur paper avatar, releasing a small paper kite. The kite slowly flapped its wings, burrowed out of the ground, transformed into a mighty eagle, and soared with outstretched wings.

A wisp of Li Changshou's consciousness attached to it, meticulously observing the area around the mountain.

This should be a market town of the demon race.

The mountaintop had likely been leveled by powerful experts using divine abilities, and a sturdy fortress was built upon it. Various arrays protected its exterior, and the spiritual energy of the earth veins was fully utilized by the grand array.

Within the market town, there were humans, beasts, and avians.

Although there were human qi refiners active here, their numbers were few. Most were demons with beast ears... *ahem*, retaining some characteristics from before their transformation.

The eagle pierced through the clouds, flew over Beheaded Mountain, and located a large river.

Flying downstream along the river for a while longer, it indeed spotted a valley shrouded by a grand array.

The treasure was located here.

The valley was naturally also a demon territory, and its scenery seemed pleasant. Due to the grand array's isolation, he couldn't clearly ascertain how many experts were inside.

However, according to the distribution of demon forces, the vast majority of demon experts were gathered on the border of North Kuru and the Central Continent. This place was not too far from the Immortal Du Sect. If there were powerful demon experts here, the Immortal Du Sect would have probably already warned its disciples not to come here for training.

The first thought that popped into Li Changshou's mind was to directly use his paper avatars and immortal bean soldiers to forcefully attack this place, which would allow him to both obtain the treasure and earn merit.

However, he immediately dismissed this idea.

Firstly, as one of the two ancient overlords, the demon race had their own accumulations. Attacking the younger ones could easily provoke the elders.

These demons were not comparable to the great demons of the deep sea.

Secondly, the treasure's identity was still unknown, and it might be hidden anywhere. If, during a forceful attack, it was taken by a demon and escaped, then it would be truly troublesome.

There was no need to rush this matter.

First, he would gather intelligence, then formulate a plan. When it was time to act, he would strike like thunder. He didn't need to greedily seek both the treasure and the merit.

At present, Li Changshou began secretly deploying paper avatars near the Immortal Du Sect, in the Southern Continent, and under the East Sea. He also transported a new batch of immortal beans out of the Immortal Du Sect.

In just a few days, Li Changshou had already ambushed the valley with a 'mighty army' of one hundred thousand. Additionally, there were over one hundred paper avatars with strength comparable to late-stage Heavenly Immortals, and several hundred paper avatars responsible for releasing immortal bean soldiers.

He would deal with other matters later; first, he would surround them!

Of course, these were merely backup plans. Li Changshou intended to quietly take the treasure and leave, incurring the least karma and cost.

The intelligence gathering work was also proceeding methodically. Li Changshou's patience had always been excellent.

While doing all this, Li Changshou was simultaneously undertaking another major task in his alchemy room on Little Qiong Peak.

Creating several Golden Immortal realm paper avatars!

In the days since returning from Huoyun Cave, Li Changshou had been constantly pondering the guidance of the great Fuxi.

Today, he finally had a complete idea and was ready to make an attempt.

If he could create Golden Immortal realm paper avatars soon, his treasure hunt would naturally become much more efficient!

Li Changshou thoroughly sorted out his new ideas for improving the paper avatars in his mind.

This time, the success rate wasn't too high, at most sixty or seventy percent. He also didn't know what the final product's effect would be.

But without trying, there would never be a breakthrough.

Li Changshou opened the dark alchemy furnace, meticulously cleaned its interior, and then summoned several paper figures carrying cloth bags on their backs.

The paper figures stood obediently on the wooden table. Following Li Changshou's thoughts, they each took out piles of herbs and precious materials.

The method of external avatars taught by the great Fuxi had opened up a completely new line of thought for Li Changshou.

Why had his paper avatars encountered a bottleneck?

The difficulty lay in the fact that when immortal power of his Golden Immortal realm was injected into the paper avatars, once it reached a certain 'quantity,' they would become extremely unstable, constantly heading towards artistic self-destruction.

Previously, his approach had always been limited to reinforcing the paper avatars and improving their restrictions.

But after Fuxi's guidance, Li Changshou found a new path.

Next, he would attempt to add a core to his paper avatars to stabilize their immortal power!

A small portion of immortal power would be injected into this core, responsible for maintaining the overall stability of the paper avatar's immortal power. When the paper avatar's immortal power was excessively consumed, this small portion could also serve as an emergency reserve.

While this sounded simple, how to refine this core and how to achieve such an effect were all significant 'immortal research' problems.

Alchemy became Li Changshou's first thought for a solution.

The Grand Pure One's Great Dao of Non-Action and the method of Yin-Yang balance also seemed applicable.

Combining the Saint's Great Dao, the principles of Yin and Yang, the guidance from the great Fuxi, the reference divine abilities provided by Master Xuandu, and his own rich experience gained from years of immersing himself in the art of paper avatars...

There was no reason he wouldn't gain anything!

Li Changshou quickly placed batch after batch of herbs and precious materials into the alchemy furnace, embarking on the path of refining the paper avatar cores.

Half a day later...

Accompanied by a roar, a mushroom cloud slowly rose three thousand li east of the Immortal Du Sect, and an uncultivated mountain was blown apart by more than half.

The spiritual explosion reappeared, but its power was significantly diminished.