Chapter 309: Collecting the Dragon Clan, Seeking the Heart Demon at the Mountain Gate

For once, Li Changshou acted with rare decisiveness. After finalizing his plan concerning Jin Chan, he immediately began to execute it.

In the spiritual dream realm, Li Changshou meticulously instructed Ao Yi for half an hour. The young dragon nodded, deep in thought.

Perhaps it was because he had read that scripture, but whenever Ao Yi spoke now, he would ponder for a moment before replying.

This put Li Changshou even more at ease.

"Brother Sect Master, is there anything else I need to remember about this?"

"There's no need to rush the matter of Jin Chan," Li Changshou said. "Just proceed slowly, ensuring the matter becomes known to as many beings as possible. Jin Chan was previously injured by the Grand Master, and it will likely take thousands, even tens of thousands of years for him to recover his vitality."

"Hmm," Ao Yi nodded heavily, but hesitated to speak, his eyes flickering.

"Just say what's on your mind."

"Brother Sect Master," Ao Yi sighed heavily, his mind burdened. He bowed to Li Changshou, then asked, "That Peach Banquet... are there any hidden implications? Will His Majesty the Jade Emperor directly target the Dragon race...?"

Li Changshou clasped his hands behind his back and sighed softly.

"I'll tell you something in confidence; don't mention it to anyone else. A few days ago in the West Sea, the Heavenly General who injured Jin Chan was actually the Jade Emperor, though he concealed his identity."

"What?"

Ao Yi was stunned.

Li Changshou continued, "Do you know how profound His Majesty the Jade Emperor's cultivation is? His Majesty's divine powers and magic are probably no weaker than those of the renowned experts in the three sects. Furthermore, with the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, his strength is unfathomable. Don't forget, His Majesty the Jade Emperor originated from the Purple霄 Palace and cultivated for countless years before the Dao Ancestor."

Hearing his Brother Sect Master's words, Ao Yi nodded repeatedly.

Li Changshou added, "That day, His Majesty discovered that among the experts of the West Sea Dragon Palace who appeared on the surface of the sea, five or six out of ten had abnormal primordial spirits."

"What!?"

Ao Yi was instantly aghast. "How could such a thing happen? I'll go find Father right away!"

"The Dragon Kings must have tacitly approved this," Li Changshou said. "Why are you getting agitated again? Take that scripture I gave you and copy it three hundred times after you go back. Remember to burn the paper and cloth after you've finished copying it."

Ao Yi was somewhat puzzled but nodded in agreement.

"Brother Sect Master, how could my father and my uncles tacitly approve of this?"

Li Changshou smiled, "Firstly, the Dragon Kings are not ordinary. Having survived from ancient times until today, how could they be so easily manipulated? Secondly, the true foundation of the Dragon race lies at the sea eyes, not within the Dragon Palaces. Even if the entire West Sea Dragon Palace were to have its minds controlled, it could be rebuilt at any time. Thirdly, 'Don't put all your dragon eggs in one nest,' I recall the Dragon race having such a saying. Therefore, for the Dragon Kings to make such a choice, turning a blind eye to what happened in the West Sea Dragon Palace, is quite reasonable."

"This..."

Ao Yi pursed his lips, slightly questioning the nature of his existence.

Li Changshou chuckled, "You are still young, very green. Let me test you again: What do you think His Majesty the Jade Emperor would think upon seeing such a situation?"

Ao Yi hastily replied, "Is His Majesty perhaps worried that over time, all four Dragon Palaces will be controlled by others?"

"How could it be that simple?"

Li Changshou sighed, "The Jade Emperor is quite displeased with the Dragon race's idea of playing both sides! The Dragon race believes that by portraying themselves as victims, they can conceal their tacit approval of the Western Sect's infiltration of the West Sea Dragon Palace, as the Dragon race was, after all, the one being plotted against. But how could such a thing be hidden from His Majesty the Jade Emperor? The Jade Emperor's wisdom and foresight far surpass mine."

Ao Yi immediately understood the entire situation, his face clouded with worry. He paced anxiously back and forth in front of Li Changshou.

"Brother Sect Master, what, what should be done? Father and the others actually..."

"It's common sense," Li Changshou said. "Since you are so worried, today I will be completely frank with you about everything. Ao Yi, now the Dragon race needs you to step forward."

Hearing this, Ao Yi held his breath, leaning slightly forward, listening intently.

Li Changshou pondered carefully in his mind.

Although this was a step he had already planned, he needed to speak frankly with Ao Yi at this point to clear away some of the previously buried concerns. If he and Ao Yi couldn't work together, the twelve years leading up to the Peach Banquet would certainly be difficult to accomplish anything significant.

"Ao Yi, did you know that in the early days of the Sea God Sect, I was merely a Heavenly Immortal stage Qi Refiner, and the Sea God Sect was not something I intentionally established?"

Ao Yi was somewhat puzzled, wondering why the Sect Master brought this up.

But then, Ao Yi grasped the key information—

Heavenly Immortal stage!

When he had sparred with Brother Sect Master at the Immortal Ascension Sect, was Brother Sect Master just toying with him?

Li Changshou's voice was calm as he recounted the events of that year:

"At that time, I had only one identity: a Human Sect disciple, Li Changshou of the Immortal Ascension Sect. It was by a series of coincidences that the shamans of Xiong Village encountered me while I was comprehending the Great Dao. They revered me as the Sea God, established temples, and offered sacrifices, and things escalated from there. You might not believe it, but the day you and I met on the shores of the South Sea, I was actually there to dismantle the Sea God Sect. At that time, my main concern was that the Sea God Sect would bring trouble upon me and clash with the Western Sect. However, because the Dragon race appeared and you exposed my identity as the Sea God, I had to change my approach and try to bring the Sea God Sect under my control. I never expected the Sea God Sect to become my opportunity."

Ao Yi listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "How was it an opportunity?"

"Because the Sea God Sect gained the assistance of the Dragon race, its influence deepened. This, in turn, attracted the schemes of the Western Sect and the observation of the Jade Emperor, leading to my first contact with His Majesty the Jade Emperor. It was precisely because of the influence of the Jade Emperor, the Heavenly Court, and the Dragon race's fortunes that I was chosen by the Saint Lord as an artifact person—*ahem*, as the agent for this matter. And my ability to gain the Grand Master's appreciation actually came after the Sea God Sect began to rise... It was by taking these steps, one by one, that I became the Sea God of today."

Li Changshou said with a faint smile, "In the early days of the Sea God Sect, I was constantly on edge, fearing being targeted by the Western Sect or torn apart by the Dragon race. I truly had to consider every step ten times, treading as if on thin ice."

Hearing this, Ao Yi's expression first turned a little awkward, then he pursed his lips and frowned, bowing to Li Changshou.

"Yi has caused Brother trouble!"

"Perhaps this is our destiny together; there's no need for formalities."

Li Changshou gently helped Ao Yi up, then turned to look at the figure that had been standing behind him in the spiritual dream realm, saying softly,

"Ao Yi, look here."

Ao Yi looked up. Li Changshou waved his sleeve, and the surrounding mist dispersed, slowly revealing the Grand Master's face on the enormous statue.

Then, the face changed again, reverting to Li Changshou's appearance.

Li Changshou chuckled, "During that time, I could only rely on myself. I had to constantly find a balance among the three forces: the Western Sect, the Dragon race, and the Heavenly Court. You've asked me many times why humanity can rise to prominence. Perhaps it's just... they have a bit more courage."

"Brother!"

Ao Yi, filled with remorse, sighed wistfully, "I had no idea about any of this. I've placed all the burdens on your shoulders, and I always..."

"Ao Yi, I'm telling you all this today not for any other reason, but to let you know that the Dragon race's ascension to the Heavenly Court was not solely my doing, nor was it entirely the Jade Emperor's scheme. It was the force of circumstances, the flow of destiny, and fate itself."

"Circumstances... destiny..."

Ao Yi lowered his head in thought. His youthful face now bore many more worries than before.

Just as Li Changshou was about to continue, Ao Yi suddenly took two steps back, lifted the hem of his robe, and knelt directly down.

"What are you doing?"

Li Changshou moved forward to help him up, but Ao Yi had already bowed deeply to Li Changshou.

"Ao Yi was previously ignorant and fearless, unaware of the hardships Brother Sect Master faced. Please forgive this disciple! Now, the Dragon race is on the edge of a cliff; one wrong step could lead to utter destruction. I implore the Sect Master to intervene, save my Dragon race, and guide us to serve the Heavenly Court! Today, Yi vows to entrust his life to the Sect Master!"

Li Changshou hadn't expected Ao Yi to grasp the core issue so quickly, nor did he anticipate such a strong reaction from him.

But as things had come to this point, Li Changshou moved forward and asked,

"Even if, because of this, you are misunderstood by your clan, or even cursed by them?"

"What does Yi have to fear?"

"Get up," Li Changshou said. "I will tell you the detailed plan before the Peach Banquet. Ao Yi, you must remember this. The purpose of all we do is to ensure that before the Jade Emperor issues his decree at the Peach Banquet, the Four Sea Dragon Kings can proactively pledge allegiance and serve the Heavenly Court. This way, the Dragon race can gain more fortune!"

Ao Yi sprang to his feet, his eyes filled with determination.

Li Changshou then began to outline the next steps of their plan...

"We only have twelve years, and there isn't actually too much we can do, so not a single day can be wasted."

This spiritual exchange lasted for over thirty hours, giving Li Changshou a slight headache.

He had already made the necessary efforts, which he felt was a fair return for the Dragon race's numerous boxes of treasures.

There would certainly be results;

but to what extent they could achieve was beyond his control. It primarily depended on the choices of the Dragon Kings themselves.

The Heavenly Court naval force His Majesty the Jade Emperor said he would assign to him should be nearly selected;

now he just needed this force to be in place to officially begin the grand plan of bringing the Dragon race into the fold.

In the underground secret chamber, Li Changshou carefully put away the two Nine-Turn Golden Pills he had just received close to him;

Ling'e's pill could just remain with her.

His immortal sense swept over Ling'e's thatched hut by the lake, and Li Changshou detected the Dao resonance left by the Grand Master, knowing that the Grand Master had bestowed a benefit upon Ling'e...

With this ascension, would this girl truly 'soar into the heavens' in one go?

Hmm, he would reward her by having her copy more scriptures later, lest her sudden increase in power destabilize her Dao heart.

Since her Dao foundation was built upon the 'Scripture of Steadiness,' copying it more would certainly not be wrong...

"Time to find some spiritual trees."

Li Changshou murmured, closed his eyes in concentration, activated the paper effigy waiting outside the mountain gate, and began the 'Little Qiong Peak Reforestation' initiative.

The primordial world was abundant in spiritual energy, and Eastern Continent was sparsely populated. It wasn't difficult to find ancient spiritual trees that hadn't yet gained sentience.

The difficulty lay in the fact that the spiritual tree sap required for the Paper Man Transformation ability had to be full of 'life essence' and meet several other specific requirements...

Li Changshou meticulously searched for half a day, only finding a dozen or so old trees. He carefully moved them from their original habitats and secretly transported them back to Little Qiong Peak.

To make them settle in more comfortably, Li Changshou's true body personally appeared and performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the old trees.

It was a bit quiet, though, lacking an audience.

As soon as he finished with this batch of old spiritual trees, Li Changshou's immortal sense detected something unusual in the chess and card room.

Xiong Lingli, Jiang Lin'er, and Jiu Jiu woke up simultaneously. The three exchanged glances, each looking a little bewildered.

After a moment of daze, Jiang Lin'er and Jiu Jiu stood up at the same time. Li Changshou's attention was immediately drawn to Martial Aunt Jiu...

*Ahem*, this was simply the law of universal gravitation, not by his will.

Jiang Lin'er hastily said, "Take good care of Yushi; I'm going back to seclusion first!"

"What's going on? How can one suddenly attain enlightenment while playing cards!"

Jiu Jiu anxiously exclaimed, rushing towards the second floor, subconsciously not even thinking of returning to Broken Sky Peak for cultivation.

"Lingli, tell Yushi that I'll be in seclusion for about three to five months! Tell her to cultivate with peace of mind, not to force a breakthrough, and to wait for me to come out of seclusion to check her cultivation progress!"

"Oh, oh!"

Xiong Lingli nodded repeatedly, looking utterly bewildered.

Seeing this, Li Changshou couldn't help but chuckle, and dispatched a paper effigy there.

He specifically had the paper effigy transform into the appearance of an old woman, and sent a voice transmission to Xiong Lingli, telling her to also go into proper seclusion for a while, with the old woman responsible for looking after Jiu Yushi...

Was the Grand Master handing out benefits in his backyard?

Then why was his own master still the same, meditating and cultivating in his thatched hut with no signs of a breakthrough?

Could it be that the Grand Master misunderstood and thought all the women on the mountain were his...?

Never mind. Just as Li Changshou was about to retract his immortal sense from observing Old Daoist Qiyuan, he detected a slight abnormality.

Master's condition seemed off.

Li Changshou immediately became alert. His immortal sense enveloped his old master, meticulously examining him. Soon after, his expression turned serious, and he rushed to the thatched hut by the lake.

Master, he feared, had encountered a heart devil.

It was very likely that due to the matter with Jiu Yushi, a demonic hindrance had arisen in Master's heart, thus triggering a heart devil!

Murky Immortals were inherently prone to such issues. Li Changshou had prepared for this, having read many ancient texts, and found numerous methods to help others clear heart devils.

Arriving before the thatched hut, Li Changshou did not disturb his master. He integrated himself into the local array formation and barrier, quietly appearing behind his master, and raised a finger to tap Old Daoist Qiyuan's neck.

"Master, your disciple will assist you."

Li Changshou formed sword-fingers with both hands, stepping out with immortal steps. His fingers swiftly tapped various points around Old Daoist Qiyuan, infusing strands of immortal light into him.

A moment later, Old Daoist Qiyuan coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of black gas.

Li Changshou waved his sleeve, enveloped the black gas with immortal power, forming it into a ball. Just as he was about to casually purify it, he let out a soft "咦?" of surprise.

Master's... this isn't a heart devil?

The black gas condensed into a shadowy mass, emitting silent roars, seemingly provoking Li Changshou incessantly.

A Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demon?

A Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demon, as it was called, was not a living being, but rather an existence that adhered to the Great Dao, similar to resentment, obsession, or karmic obstacles.

How this thing originated, no one could explain clearly, but what was clear was that it was related to the heart devils of Qi Refiners.

If a Qi Refiner's Dao heart developed a demonic hindrance, and this hindrance could not be eliminated in time, it would easily grow into a heart devil. A heart devil, in turn, was highly prone to attracting such Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demons, leaving the Qi Refiner trapped both internally and externally.

Some immortals, who simply disappeared during their seclusion, a small portion of them perished due to this very calamity.

Cultivating the Dao naturally carried such dangers.

The reason Master fell victim was likely due to his insufficient Murky Immortal Dao foundation, making his Dao heart more susceptible to being breached, which in turn attracted this cluster of... someone else's Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demons...

Should he report this to the Sect Master?

And thoroughly investigate who attracted this Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demon?

Li Changshou pondered briefly, concluding that if this matter were exposed, it would be another severe blow to his master's reputation.

And Master was very fond of his reputation...

"Never mind. A bit of effort is fine."

Li Changshou first stepped forward, and whispered to his master, who was still in meditation, "Master, please cultivate with peace of mind. Everything is fine now."

Immediately after, Li Changshou left the thatched hut with the ball of black gas, performing divinations with his fingers.

Such a minor matter posed no difficulty for Li Changshou to deduce.

Soon, he found the trajectory of how this Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demon came to Little Qiong Peak. His immortal sense traced back along this path, eventually pinpointing its origin at the waist of Broken Sky Peak.

"Isn't that..."

Li Changshou did not hesitate much. His figure swiftly vanished from Little Qiong Peak.

Now, with his true body employing Earth Escape, he could silently penetrate barriers set up by Heavenly Immortal stage Qi Refiners, and disregard most medium and small-sized array formations.

Moving through the earth and mountain body unimpeded, Li Changshou found the source of this Dao Hindrance Heavenly Demon.

This was a cave dwelling Li Changshou had not visited before. A bed, several wardrobes, and on the smooth stone walls hung several paintings by Li Changshou himself...

On the meditation mat in the center of the cave, a female immortal dressed in cultivation robes kept her eyes tightly shut. Her slender, graceful body occasionally trembled slightly;

Her long hair cascaded down, fine beads of sweat dotted her exquisite face, and she bit her lip lightly, seemingly enduring some pain.

Youqin Xuanya.

Li Changshou shook his head slightly. Three paper effigies flew out from his sleeve, each holding... a wooden fish, a bamboo clapper, and a soul-suppressing bell...