Chapter 308: Initial Meeting with the Sage, Longevity Calculations of the Golden Cicada

Anshui City, back hall.

A water-fire Taiji diagram appeared out of thin air, slowly rotating and carrying the power of water and fire.

The Grand Master emerged from it, his expression somewhat stern.

Once the water-fire Taiji dissipated, the Grand Master’s sleeve gently fluttered, and a wisp of ash, accompanied by faint glimmers of light, drifted out, transforming into Li Changshou’s figure.

He still looked like that old immortal, with the faint outline of a pagoda visible on his chest.

The Grand Master let out a breath and sat straight back into his armchair. After a moment of silence, he sighed:

“This martial uncle is a bit too much…”

Li Changshou, holding his whisk, murmured beside him, “Grand Master, after all, that was a Saint…”

“Yes, I know,” the Grand Master nodded slowly, saying, “I should have listened to you then and severed the Golden Cicada’s shed skin right in front of that martial uncle. I initially thought it best not to escalate conflicts between the Western Sect and Daoism. But now it seems there’s no need to preserve appearances with the Western Sect. They don’t care about appearances anyway.”

To be fair, even when the Grand Master was angry, he remained so refined and amiable.

Li Changshou, standing by, didn’t know how to console him.

That Saint was truly…

Beyond words.

Moments earlier, at the Great Spiritual Explosion ruins.

The Vice-Sect Master of the Western Sect, Daoist Zhunti, whose face was indistinct and body shrouded in light, appeared, declaring that the Golden Cicada had a karmic affinity with the West, and urged the two to stop.

At that moment, Li Changshou secretly suggested that the Grand Master strike the decisive blow, but the Grand Master hesitated noticeably, missing the opportune moment.

It wasn’t that the Grand Master feared confronting a Saint; if necessary, he would likely do so.

However, today’s events were Li Changshou’s counterattack against the Golden Cicada, a situation with clear cause and effect, and solid justification.

If the Grand Master had forcibly killed the Golden Cicada, it would have directly revealed that the Human School intended to sabotage the Western Sect’s great prosperity, thereby incurring unnecessary karma for the Human School…

This point wasn’t really a major issue.

The Human School only had two and a half Sages in total; at worst, Grand Pure Old Master would intervene and have a confrontation with the two Saints of the Western Sect.

Fear was out of the question; they would probably even intimidate the Western Sect…

However, such an action would escalate uncontrollably, inevitably causing turmoil in the Primordial World, affecting the Dao Sect’s fortunes, and the Grand Master would certainly be called back to the Grand Pure Temple by the Grand Pure Saint and confined for several kalpas…

That would be highly undesirable.

More importantly, the Grand Master had witnessed Li Changshou’s performance today and realized that this Golden Cicada…

would pose little threat to the Human School in the future.

By the time the Golden Cicada matured again, Li Changshou wouldn’t have remained stagnant either. Dealing with that fellow then would merely require a bit of thought and a slight stretch of the fingers.

Therefore, the Grand Master decided not to forcibly kill the Golden Cicada, but merely attempted to sever this karmic tie.

The Grand Master had said:

“Martial Uncle Zhunti, this Primordial fierce beast intended to harm my Human School disciple and should be vanquished by my Human School disciple.”

The old Daoist on the cloud calmly replied, “What? Is my meager reputation insufficient?”

The Grand Master’s smile gradually faded as he looked up at the shimmering light in the clouds, his posture still erect.

Clouds in the sky resembled mountains, while the person below stood like a vast marsh!

The Grand Master said, “If Martial Uncle speaks thus, this disciple dares not say more. However, Martial Uncle, how should today’s karma be resolved?”

The old Daoist replied, “Since I have arrived, the karma can be extinguished.”

“What if the Golden Cicada attacks someone from my Human School again?”

“Fates arise and fall, all follow karmic law,” the old Daoist said leisurely. “Where there is a cause, there will naturally be an effect.”

Grand Master Xuandu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Meanwhile, Li Changshou, hidden in the Grand Master’s sleeve, was filled with emotion.

So this is what a Saint is like?

They spout nonsense effortlessly, completely disregarding any practical meaning, purely making it clear that—

“Today, I, Zhunti, am protecting this Golden Cicada, so deal with it!”

This was with the Grand Master present; if it had been Li Changshou instead, he likely wouldn’t even have had a chance to speak before Daoist Zhunti would have struck him with the Seven Treasures Tree.

At this point, the Grand Master could only retreat. If he continued to speak, Daoist Zhunti would likely just dismiss him with more ‘empty, grandiose’ words.

Li Changshou, nudging the Grand Master’s arm, transmitted a message:

“Grand Master, I humbly suggest. You could ask, what does the Western Sect intend to do with the Golden Cicada? Even if this Primordial fierce beast cleanses its karma, it shouldn’t merit a Saint’s attention.”

—Since the Golden Cicada couldn’t be killed, the next best thing was to ruin its chance of becoming a Saint’s disciple, minimizing future trouble.

The Grand Master’s eyes lit up, and he proceeded as suggested.

Indeed, Saint Zhunti changed his strategy…

The old Daoist then said, “This Golden Cicada once attacked my senior brother’s golden body, thus incurring a karmic debt to the Western Sect. In the future, there will be a karmic affinity for him, where he will offer his Dharma body for the great prosperity of the West. Today, I have personally come here. Does my nephew perhaps feel that my moral standing is still insufficient?”

The Grand Master smiled, “Martial Uncle, you overstate it. Since you have spoken, this disciple will naturally not trouble this Golden Cicada today. However, this Golden Cicada is a Primordial fierce beast, with countless wicked deeds. For Martial Uncle, a revered Saint, to personally appear and take it away, I fear it might harm the Western Sect’s reputation.”

Zhunti was silent for a long time, then said, “The Golden Cicada’s ferocity is hard to quell. I will take him back to Spirit Mountain to be suppressed in the Pool of Merit and Virtue, where his spirit will be re-purified. My nephew worries too much; you may leave.”

Upon hearing this, Grand Master Xuandu cupped his hands, said no more, turned, and stepped away, his figure vanishing between heaven and earth, returning to the back hall of the Sea God Temple.

This was a Saint.

They didn’t need to speak reason; once their golden mouth opened, even the Grand Master could only temporarily withdraw, returning home to fume in secret.

In the Sea God Temple, the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda slowly emerged from Li Changshou’s chest, transmitting spiritual thoughts to both the Grand Master and Li Changshou.

Li Changshou, of course, had no idea what kind of voice or tone these spiritual thoughts took in the Grand Master’s mind.

But in Li Changshou’s mind, he heard:

“Hit him! What are you afraid of, big disciple? Zhunti is just a charlatan; if it came to a real fight, he might not be your match! Can his Seven Treasures Tree even brush us? It was tried in ancient times; that tree is useless, only good for bullying some Quasi-Saints without powerful treasures or or minor innate spirit treasures. Call over Elder Tu and the others, confront him head-on; no problem, you definitely won’t lose!”

The Grand Master pondered for a moment and said:

“My Dao allows me to act as I please, but I must not overstep my bounds. If I were to attack Saint Zhunti, it would also be disrespectful to my teacher. Moreover, a Saint’s divine powers are unfathomable, integrated with the Heavenly Dao and connected to heaven and earth; victory is not simply achieved by possessing many powerful treasures.”

The small pagoda trembled, immediately retracting its shimmering light, seemingly sulking.

Li Changshou quickly said:

“Grand Master, it was my oversight. I only considered how he would escape by shedding his skin, and didn’t anticipate his life-preserving divine ability would be like this. If I could have hidden some paper effigies nearby and unleashed another burst at the end of the spiritual explosion, there would have been no lingering issues.”

“This is not your fault,” the Grand Master said gently. “You have done exceptionally well. If I had your cultivation level and tried to do this, I certainly couldn’t have managed it so cleanly. However, after this incident, Changshou, you can rest assured that those from the Western Sect will certainly not dare to directly attack you again.”

As he spoke, the Grand Master took out a jade talisman from his sleeve, gently pushed it, and handed it to Li Changshou.

“Today, seeing how you almost shook off the Golden Cicada with your Water Escape technique, I realized that your greatest talent, Changshou, lies in escape arts. Take this; I originally intended for you to focus on cultivation and not get too distracted by these spell arts and divine abilities.”

Li Changshou received the jade talisman with both hands, carefully peering into it…

An excited heart, trembling hands!

From now on, there would be no escape art he didn’t possess!

The Qiankun Escape Art!

The name of this escape art was simple: *Qiankun Escape*;

But according to the ‘fewer characters, bigger matter’ principle, these three ordinary characters were absolutely extraordinary!

“Thank you, Grand Master, for bestowing this art.”

Li Changshou put away the jade talisman, knowing he couldn’t immediately comprehend it.

The Grand Master smiled, “Today you also met a Saint. Do you have any insights?”

Li Changshou replied earnestly, “This disciple doesn’t really have any particular thoughts, and regrettably, I couldn’t see the Saint’s appearance… Grand Master, I believe this matter can still be further manipulated and shouldn’t be simply dropped.”

“What do you intend to do? Speak freely.”

“This disciple wishes to use the power of the Dragon Race to spread some information.”

Li Changshou mused for a few moments, carefully considering, then slowly said:

“For example… In ancient times, there was a fierce beast called the Six-Winged Golden Cicada, inherently brutal and a ruthless killer. It possessed immense divine powers, extreme speed, and mastery of Qiankun arts. If this beast could be captured, it should not be directly killed. Its shed skin could be used to refine elixirs; those who consume this elixir, if not already immortal, could attain immortality, and Golden Immortals could perfect their Dao Realm. This would put pressure on the Western Sect, ensuring the Golden Cicada has no chance to recover.”

Grand Master Xuandu’s eyes lit up, and he then looked at Li Changshou with immense admiration.

The Heaven and Earth Linglong Xuanhuang Pagoda, which had been sulking, also trembled slightly. Its shimmering light reappeared, and Xuanhuang energy continuously descended, sending two wisps of spiritual thoughts into the minds of Li Changshou and the Grand Master…

“Is this a treasure picked up from some corner? This devious mind is almost on par with our Master!”

Li Changshou and the Grand Master couldn’t help but exchange glances, completely unwilling to respond.

They were genuinely startled.

When the Xuanhuang Pagoda departed, it seemed somewhat reluctant, grumbling curses.

It truly wanted to cling to Li Changshou, protecting him as he ventured and idled across the four seas.

Although Li Changshou dearly wanted to agree, weighing his own courage, he could only express his repeated gratitude for the Xuanhuang Pagoda senior’s life-saving grace…

Though the Xuanhuang Pagoda hadn’t displayed any power during the previous skirmish, it represented a guarantee, a sense of peace, the very security Li Changshou had always yearned for!

Moreover, with the Grand Master absent, Li Changshou’s true body would only cultivate in the mountains, offering little entertainment. The Xuanhuang Pagoda would likely quickly grow bored.

The Grand Master sent Li Changshou back to the Immortal Du Sect, while Li Changshou watched the Grand Master return to the Tushita Palace in the Heavenly Court.

In his underground secret chamber, Li Changshou pushed aside his previous plans and began to rethink.

The ‘slingshot’ Saint’s thick skin and modus operandi differed slightly from what Li Changshou had previously anticipated.

That skin was truly thick…

Truly worthy of someone who could declare, ‘The Primordial World has a karmic affinity with my Western Sect.’

Li Changshou wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if such a Saint had directly acted to crush a minor disciple of the Human School like himself.

Especially since he had made an appearance before Saint Zhunti today, he would likely need to be even more cautious in the future.

Yes, remain steadfast in the mountains for a hundred thousand years, unwavering!

Li Changshou checked the anti-deduction trinkets on his person, carefully felt the Dao韵 left by the Xuanhuang Pagoda, then subtly perceived another faint Dao韵, somewhat similar to the Xuanhuang Pagoda’s.

That was a trace of the power of the Taiji Diagram, a major Human School treasure of karmic luck that concealed his origins and severed divinations!

Li Changshou chuckled softly.

To think that a spiritual treasure like the Xuanhuang Pagoda would have such a personality; he truly wondered what temperaments other significant treasures like the Taiji Diagram and the Wind-Fire Cushion possessed.

If they were all short-tempered old folks, it would truly be lively beyond compare.

“Saint…”

Li Changshou let out a soft breath, took out two copper coins from his sleeve, and placed them before him.

Earlier, in the Sea God Temple, while the Grand Master was present, Li Changshou had secretly attempted to nourish these two copper coins with merit, but no unusual phenomena had occurred.

Now, most of the ‘patina’ on these two copper coins had faded, and they generally exhibited a bright golden color.

Li Changshou placed both hands on the two copper coins and, from within his body, drew out a small amount of Heavenly Dao merit, injecting it into the coins.

The two copper coins trembled slightly, emitting a crisp hum. A faint spiritual thought was transmitted to Li Changshou’s mind…

However, the significant difference between treasures became immediately apparent.

Unlike the Heaven and Earth Linglong Xuanhuang Pagoda, which could not only actively communicate with its wielder, but also joke and banter, and was very close to living beings, aware of the Saint’s commands, and as lively as a chatterbox who hadn’t spoken for a million years.

These two copper coins, which Li Changshou had long anticipated, could only express closeness and joy to him. Even at their utmost effort, they could only impart a single insight into Li Changshou’s mind.

And it was merely the simplest user manual.

Li Changshou carefully pondered it, his brow furrowing slightly.

This treasure was not as miraculous as he had imagined…

The Great Dao they embodied was ‘trade and exchange’ within the Human Dao.

Meaning any treasure could be put up for sale, and these copper coins could be used to ‘buy’ it back.

Because ‘military matters can disrupt markets,’ the Treasure-Dropping Coins could not affect ‘weapon’ type magical treasures.

Since it was a transaction, the wielder of the Treasure-Dropping Coins naturally had to pay a price.

The copper coins were merely a form of currency, imbued with value by the power of merit.

Simply put, if one used the Treasure-Dropping Coins to ‘drop’ a spirit treasure, it would consume one’s own merit.

The higher the grade of the dropped treasure, the more merit would be consumed, and the Heavenly Dao even allowed merit to become negative.

—This also confirmed Li Changshou’s previous speculation that merit and karma could offset each other, but the process was not as simple as mere cancellation.

Li Changshou couldn’t help but fall into deep thought…

His own merit was still needed to condense his Golden Body of Merit and couldn’t be wasted like this.

At this point, it seemed the main purpose of him acquiring the Treasure-Dropping Coins was to avert a disaster for Elder Zhao and reduce Fairy Yunxiao’s karma from entering the tribulation…

“Never mind,” Li Changshou shook his head, gently encouraged the two copper coins, then placed them in a brocade box and stored them in his reserve of trump cards.

Subsequently, Li Changshou took out a piece of cloth and began meticulously plotting the Golden Cicada’s future.

He intended to wage a public opinion war to prevent the Western Saint from taking the Golden Cicada as a disciple.

If the Golden Cicada was merely a tool for the Journey to the West, then he would have more room for future maneuvers.

In fact, the Western Sect had lost a round today. Saint Zhunti personally appearing to protect the Golden Cicada was a loss of face for them.

It was just that this particular Saint was so thick-skinned that he remained completely oblivious, making both the Grand Master and Li Changshou feel they hadn’t gained much…

Seventy-two spiritual explosion paper effigies were used…

His stock was getting tight again.

Li Changshou’s immortal sense swept over the back mountain of Little Qiong Peak. It seemed he would need to acquire and transplant some thousand-year-old spiritual trees.

“Hmm?”

Li Changshou blinked, realizing something belatedly.

Could the fallacy that eating Tang Sanzang’s flesh grants immortality have originated… from him?

This subtle sense of participation in mythical history…

And so, Li Changshou felt even more confident.