Chapter 325: The Western Saint's Honor, Today Guarded by Me, the Sea God

Three thousand miles beyond the Du Xian Sect, in a desolate 'dormant mine' spirit vein, a sudden golden light shone, piercing through the thick rock walls. As the golden light receded, the figure hidden within quietly vanished.

Having learned from the previous experience, Li Changshou naturally wouldn't stand idly on Little Qiong Peak, waiting for the Heavenly Dao to bestow merit. While a single instance might be concealed by Sect Master Kong Xu, two or three times… the immortals in the sect weren't all fools! Well, at least most of them were quite intelligent, though their imagination and associative thinking were a bit lacking.

To be fair, however, this amount of merit was indeed substantial! Excluding previous merit accumulation, this newly acquired merit alone was enough to complete… a full forearm of Li Changshou's envisioned Golden Body of Merit! At this moment, his primordial spirit was joyfully swimming in the pure power of merit, while beside it, the Sea God's trident — ahem, the Sea God's divine authority artifact — was also enveloped by the power of merit, seemingly becoming even purer.

Satisfaction, relief, and emotion! Twelve years of 'toiling painstakingly' drawing charts… This time, he hit the jackpot!

But Li Changshou also knew that such opportunities to gain merit were few and far between. Firstly, the Southern Continent was quite unique, as the human race, the protagonists of Heaven and Earth, accumulated their destiny in the mortal realm of the Southern Continent. Secondly, clarifying the waterways and incorporating them under Heavenly Court's jurisdiction subtly completed the Heavenly Court's divine authority, indirectly perfecting the details of the Heavenly Dao. Combining these two points led to the substantial merit Li Changshou received.

If he wanted to gain similar merit again, following the same logic, he could also investigate the mountains of the Southern Continent. However, water conservancy benefits the people and is incredibly important to mortals, as people live by water. Mountains were different, and the merit gained from them would likely be minimal. But even a small gain was still a gain, so Li Changshou decided that once the Dragon Race matter was resolved, he would send a paper effigy to handle it slowly.

Today, there was also a second large sum of merit!

Li Changshou circled the Du Xian Sect halfway, then hid in a river, quietly waiting, his immortal sense continuously probing all areas within ten thousand miles. Within the sect, Ling'e was still in meditation, like 'sleeping in.' Li Changshou replaced the note by her hand, instructing her to eat peaches and continue cultivating after waking, as a talk between senior and junior disciples would follow later.

While Li Changshou's main body moved, his paper effigies were not idle. To ensure no accidents today, he paused the activities of all other types of paper effigies, apart from the Sea God paper effigy, which was causing trouble in the Heavenly Court. He went all out to deal with the Peach Banquet!

A moment earlier, at the Peach Banquet, Li Changshou had thanked them for the recognition of his merits and returned the Demon Slaying Sword to the Jade Emperor. A golden light flashed in the High Heavens Palace; as a large sum of merit headed towards Li Changshou's true body, another golden light shone on Long Ji, who was beside him, covering her entire body with a layer of golden dust. The Jade Emperor smiled as he glanced at his daughter; Long Ji immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet her father's gaze.

Li Changshou smiled and said, "Throughout this journey, Princess Long Ji contributed her wisdom and effort. She helped this humble god investigate the waterways and wielded the Demon Slaying Sword to eliminate demons and monsters. Your Majesty, she deserves to be rewarded."

"Hahahaha!" The Jade Emperor burst into hearty laughter, looking at Long Ji's slightly uneasy little face, and said gently, "Go change your clothes and find your mother to be seated. Heavenly Court has distinguished guests today, so do not be impolite."

Long Ji's somewhat frail body trembled slightly. She looked up at the Jade Emperor, then quickly lowered her gaze, and softly said, "Your daughter obeys."

Seeing this, Li Changshou smiled inwardly. Twelve years ago, he had noticed a clue: although the Jade Emperor doted on Long Ji, he had never publicly announced her existence, and very few in Heavenly Court knew of the Jade Emperor's daughter. In Long Ji's heart, this was also a small knot. Li Changshou merely went with the flow and helped Long Ji, which was a small matter to him, and also made the Jade Emperor feel honored, while incidentally laying the groundwork for the Investiture of the Gods… It was another instance of killing several birds with one stone.

"Sea God," Long Ji called out softly, her voice a little excited, "I'll come over later."

Li Changshou glanced at her, bowed with a smile, then turned and moved forward. The Jade Emperor raised his hand and took Li Changshou's arm, pulling him into the immortal banquet hall and leading him to an empty seat. "Beloved Qing Chang Geng, you've worked hard. Please take your seat quickly. Today's Peach Banquet is also to celebrate your achievements!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Jade Emperor turned back to his throne. Li Changshou bowed to Zhao Gongming and smiled, saying, "Greetings, Senior Gongming. I see you arrived even before I did."

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard with a smile, knowing that the entire Heavenly Court was putting on a show for the Western Sect and the Dragon Race. "Hahaha, brother Sea God, no need to be so formal," Zhao Gongming said. "We are peers, and you are quite close with my second sister, so why be so polite?"

Then Li Changshou turned his head to look at the old daoist standing nearby and the other five old daoists seated to the side. He couldn't help but frown slightly, his eyes showing confusion, and he let out a soft "Huh?" "Why are there unfamiliar faces here as well?" he asked. "Lord Mu Gong, which esteemed cultivators did His Majesty invite this time?"

East Mu Gong replied, "This Peach Banquet is for entertaining the Dragon Race heroes and Senior Gongming. No other guests were invited."

"Oh?" Li Changshou frowned as he looked at the six old daoists. Before even taking his seat, he began to challenge them. "In other words," he said, "these six came uninvited?"

The old daoist snorted coldly and said indifferently, "Sea God, do you perhaps not welcome my Western Sect?"

"Oh, the Western Sect… then naturally, no," Li Changshou replied.

The six old daoists couldn't help but frown, somewhat caught off guard by Li Changshou's direct confrontational move. According to their usual 'ancient schemes' in the Primordial Era, wasn't it customary to first greet with smiles, then hide daggers in their smiles, be adept at veiled remarks, engage in a round of strategic maneuvers, and only resort to open conflict when all else failed?

"Sea God, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Changshou straightened his posture, his gaze fixed on the old daoist's face, and said calmly: "The last time I accompanied His Majesty on a tour of the West Sea to inspect its conditions, I was ambushed by a Six-winged Golden Cicada nurtured by your Western Sect, which sought to take my life. And today, you brazenly come to Heavenly Court to feast. Heh heh, it seems all the good things in heaven and earth are truly monopolized by your Western Sect!"

Another ragged old daoist stepped forward, divine light radiating from his eyes, glaring at Li Changshou, and said coldly, "Fellow Daoist, do not slander us. What does that Six-winged Golden Cicada have to do with my Western Sect?"

Li Changshou sneered, "It's this trick again! Such lies flow so easily from your mouths; you want both a facade of dignity and sinister schemes! Your Western Sect truly has one trick after another."

The old daoist was about to step over the low table to directly challenge Li Changshou, but behind Li Changshou, Uncle Zhao calmly took half a step forward and said leisurely, "This ground in the Jade Pond, it seems a bit slippery."

The six old daoists all widened their eyes, but obediently remained standing there, each reining in their aura. Today's situation allowed only a battle of wits; resorting to violence was likely… not possible.

The old daoist who had first stepped forward said calmly, "The Six-winged Golden Cicada is a Primordial vicious beast. What does it have to do with my Western Sect? According to rumors in the Primordial Era, the Six-winged Golden Cicada is skilled in spatial techniques, and if its flesh is consumed, it can grant immortality to those who have not achieved it. If we had caught such an exotic beast, why would we let it live?" After speaking, the old daoist even showed a slight sneer at Li Changshou. This was clearly a taunt; the rhetoric he had just used was precisely the rumor Li Changshou had the Dragon Race spread. Using their shield to block their spear.

However… Li Changshou's eyes gleamed, and he shouted, "Do you dare to say that again?"

The old daoist replied, "The Six-winged Golden Cicada is a Primordial vicious beast. What does it have to do with my Western Sect?"

"Oh, how 'unrelated' to your Western Sect!" Li Changshou took two steps back, hiding behind Zhao Gongming, then loudly shouted, "Your Majesty! Please order these six imposters to be apprehended!"

On the throne, the Jade Emperor heard this and frowned deeply. Throughout the Peach Banquet, Heavenly Court generals and the dragons of the Dragon Race all rose to their feet at once. Several Heavenly Court civil officials closer to the six Western Sect old daoists immediately scurried away to a distance. Seeing this, East Mu Gong immediately spread his arms and rushed forward, fearless of death and filled with righteous valor. He blocked in front of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother and shouted loudly: "Guards, protect His Majesty!"

East Mu Gong was considered the second most powerful figure in Heavenly Court and also held the duties of the Grand Marshal of Heavenly Court's armies. At his loud shout, tens of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers near the Jade Pond moved in unison, and hundreds of Heavenly Generals instantly swarmed forward.

Zhao Gongming's beard twitched; he was struggling greatly to hold back his laughter. Far away, an unnamed human-sect master in the backyard of the Tushita Palace, looking at the cloud mirror before him, was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. The six Western Sect Saint disciples were exasperated. One of them cursed, "We often hear that the Sea God is renowned for his wisdom and is highly regarded by the Jade Emperor, but we never expected him to be merely a troublemaker and a slanderer!"

The Jade Emperor spoke at this moment: "Beloved Qing Chang Geng, how do you determine that they are not disciples of the Western Saints?"

Li Changshou secretly praised in his heart: What a good assist! This scene was not recorded in Li Changshou's previous memorial. Li Changshou had previously, in the form of memorials, subtly suggested a few times the overall flow of today's Peach Banquet. Although both he and the Jade Emperor knew these Western Sect old daoists would come, they didn't know exactly where they would begin to make trouble, so they had only drawn up general counter-strategies and couldn't discuss too many details. At this point, the six old daoists clearly couldn't keep up with Li Changshou's pace, but the Jade Emperor could time his interventions perfectly, providing assists and prepared to act as an impartial outsider, subtly favoring one side… This was truly not easy.

Li Changshou first bowed to the Jade Emperor, then began to explain: "Your Majesty, you may not know this: the last time I was attacked by that golden cicada, fortunately, Your Majesty intervened and repelled it. This humble god felt both indignant and angry, and also useless and incapable! Therefore, this humble god secretly prepared, devising a scheme: first, to lure that golden cicada out of the West Sea Dragon Palace!"

As he spoke these words, Li Changshou glanced at the dragons behind the West Sea Dragon King, his gaze sharp as a sword, but the dragons dared not meet his eyes. The dragons from the other three palaces now mostly understood what was happening, frowning as they looked at the dragons from the West Sea, with an added touch of vigilance in their eyes. The four old Dragon Kings remained silent, sitting there like stone statues.

Li Changshou continued: "This golden cicada's spatial abilities are truly exceptional; its escape and tracking skills are formidable. This humble god exerted all his strength, luring the golden cicada into a grand formation prepared beforehand, hoping to kill it instantly with divine spells and techniques! However, the golden cicada has a divine ability called 'Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell,' and this humble god could only strike it into a larval state with one blow; just as I was about to deliver the finishing blow…"

"What happened?" The Jade Emperor couldn't help but ask, and all eyes had now converged on Li Changshou.

Li Changshou showed a look of emotion, his eyes slightly dazed, and let out a long sigh: "Suddenly, the heavens and earth were filled with glowing light; a figure appeared above the clouds, auspicious clouds filled the sky, and signs of good fortune were everywhere. It was none other than a Great Compassionate and Virtuous Saint of the Western Sect who suddenly appeared, stating that this golden cicada had once attacked the Western Sect Saint's Golden Body, and thus needed to repay the Western Sect's karma, so he took the golden cicada back to be properly looked after."

His tone suddenly changed. Li Changshou pointed at the six old daoists and angrily denounced them, "And now these six people actually claim that the golden cicada has nothing to do with the Western Sect! If they are unaware of this matter, they must be imposters! If they are aware of this matter, then they are deliberately disregarding the Saint! The Two Western Saints, they listened to the Dao in the Zixiao Palace, their Golden Bodies formed from the merits of Heaven and Earth. Although they are merely nominal disciples of the Dao Ancestor, they should still be considered fellow disciples with our Three Daoist Patriarchs. Your Majesty, this humble god is from the Human Sect and truly cannot bear to see them impersonate Saint disciples and tarnish the names of the Western Saints! Are the Western Saints' reputations not Saintly reputations? Any disciple of a Saint should naturally uphold their master's reputation!"

The Jade Emperor nodded, "What Beloved Qing says is correct." Then, he frowned, with a hint of doubt, and looked at the six old daoists.

Suddenly, with a 'poof,' one of the Western Sect old daoists' faces turned red, and he actually lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The other five old daoists' faces were as dark as water, wishing they could directly swallow Li Changshou alive.

Just then, four astonishing pressures appeared at the seats opposite the six old daoists! They saw the Four Sea Dragon Kings each stood up, neither speaking nor looking up, all appearing meek and obedient. But behind these four old Dragon Kings, there were seemingly four illusory heads of ancient dragons observing the six visitors from the Western Sect. How overbearing was the dragon qi! The Dragon Kings were the sons and grandsons of the Ancestral Dragon!

At this moment, the Dragon Kings' stance was crucial. They could have entirely hidden aside and remained silent, allowing the Heavenly Court and the Western Sect to fight based on their own abilities, and then made the choice most beneficial to the Dragon Race. But, at this moment, they stood out, exerting pressure on the Western visitors! From this, it was clear that in the eyes of the Dragon Race, Li Changshou, the Sea God, had added considerable 'weight' to the Heavenly Court.

"Sea God," a ragged old daoist forced a smile, "This matter must have been something the Second Patriarch didn't mention to us. Please, Sea God…"

"I didn't mention which Patriarch just now," Li Changshou said calmly. "How did Fellow Daoist know it was the Second Leader of the Western Sect, the Saint Patriarch, who took the golden cicada? Did you all know about this matter beforehand, yet still act so unreasonably in this important Heavenly Court location, in front of His Majesty the Jade Emperor?"

The six Western Sect members immediately didn't know how to answer and frantically exchanged glances. At this moment, Li Changshou deliberately took a step back, his tone becoming less aggressive. He said, "A Saint's disciple also represents the Saint's reputation; this identity cannot be falsely claimed. How do you six prove that you are Saint disciples?"

Thus, the six ragged old daoists showed even greater apprehension in their eyes. Seeing this, Li Changshou also smiled. He first transmitted a few words to Uncle Zhao, then continued: "Everyone, the simplest way to prove yourselves is to make a Great Dao oath. You only need to make an oath, proving that you are indeed disciples of the Western Sect Saint Patriarchs; no need to say more about your other backgrounds. Otherwise… I will go to the Tushita Palace right now and ask how those who impersonate Saint disciples should be dealt with!"

Moo—

Just as Li Changshou finished speaking, a cow's moo came from the side. Looking into the distance, an old daoist in a brown robe, holding a horsetail whisk, sat cross-legged on the back of a green ox. There was no glowing light, no extraordinary splendor, yet he struck awe and apprehension in people's hearts. What's more, if one looked at this old daoist for a moment longer, one would feel as if facing the very heavens and earth, as if the heavens, earth, and the Great Dao itself had been endowed with thought and emotion, coming to life.

The one who had arrived was—Why would the Great Dao's realm need to announce itself?This presence requires no display of might.Boundless pure qi formed from him;He was born after the primordial chaos.Every word, every whisper, speaks of truth;Wherever his gaze falls, immortals and gods are present.A revered Dao Lord, Taiqing,Known in the Three Realms as Laozi.

Laozi himself had come!

Li Changshou's heart sank, and he quickly tried to recall if he had said anything wrong. Heavenly Court immortals and gods showed looks of shock; the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother immediately rose and were about to step forward to greet him. But with a flick of the horsetail whisk in Laozi's hand, and the green ox taking two steps, Laozi's figure had already appeared within the immortal banquet hall.

Laozi glanced at Li Changshou and raised his left hand. The reaction time left for Li Changshou was less than an instant, but Li Changshou seized this opportunity! He immediately strode forward, supported Laozi's arm, and helped Laozi dismount the ox!

"Chang Geng," Laozi spoke softly.

"Your disciple is present!"

Laozi said, "Tie the ox outside; do not be disrespectful in front of His Majesty."

"Yes!" Li Changshou affirmed and led the ox outside, already moving with swift steps.

The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother bowed forward, invited Laozi to take the honored seat, and quickly added a cushion next to their thrones, positioned slightly behind the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother's thrones. Laozi did not say much. He bowed to the Jade Emperor and sat upright on the cushion.

The six Western Sect Saint disciples were now silent, each lowering their heads, not daring to glance at Laozi. The Four Sea Dragon Kings each addressed him as Laozi, and all the immortals and gods bowed collectively. Zhao Gongming also stepped forward to pay his respects, also only calling him Laozi, not daring to call him Senior Martial Uncle.

Outside the immortal banquet hall, Li Changshou accompanied the green ox to a large stone, quickly took out an immortal rope, and tied it to the green ox's nose ring. The green ox weakly spoke in human tongue: "Senior Brother Chang Geng… you actually don't… really need to tie me."