Chapter 331: Is You, Li

Why is the Jade Emperor so fast this time? This isn't like the Heavenly Court; it's quite uncharacteristic.

Normally, issuing an imperial decree takes decades; promotions of deities last ten to twenty years; and even a regular Heavenly General needs two or three days just to get permission to pass through the Heavenly Gate! Even if eliminating remnants of the former dynasty is the top priority, Hua Ri Tian's troop mobilization must still have a process, right? The Sun Star orbits beyond the heavens, and with the sun now setting in the west, leading troops from the Heavenly Court to reach it would surely take some time, wouldn't it?

Not to mention, the Jade Emperor's avatar would also need to conceal its movements, wait for an opportunity to strike, and prepare backup plans to ensure Lu Ya's demise... From His Majesty the Jade Emperor's expression just now, it looked as if he were about to make a move immediately. Fortunately, judging by the Jade Emperor's reaction, he had stopped him just in the nick of time.

Within the High Heavens Palace, Li Changshou waited quietly, his face betraying utter confusion, as if asking, "Who am I, and where am I?" Profoundly bewildered.

The Jade Emperor closed his eyes, focusing his mind on Hua Ri Tian, who was now subtly leading his troops away from the magnificent Sun Star. The Sun Star, formed from Pangu's left eye, is the very source of Yang energy in the cosmos. Before the Heavenly Dao was fully established, the Sun Star was once pulled across the sky by the sun goddess Xihe in her chariot, moving daily from east to west in an endless cycle.

In ancient times, the Golden Crow clan, born from the Sun Star, reached its zenith. Xihe became the Demon Empress, and Demon Emperor Di Jun built the Golden Crow Palace as a residence for her and their ten princes. From then on, the Heavenly Dao assumed control of the Sun Star's movements.

At the end of the ancient era, during the final stages of the Lich War, the human armies brought down the Demon Court, and the Demon Emperor met his demise; furthermore, millions of human immortals besieged the Golden Crow Palace, Xihe took her own life, and the palace was largely destroyed.

Now, standing outside the Sun Star and gazing within, beyond the natural Li Fire formation, one can still see vast stretches of ruins. Countless precious materials, scorched by the true Sun Fire, have transformed into brilliant, solid remnants.

Originally, the contingents of soldiers Hua Ri Tian led had already passed through the Sun Star's outer Li Fire formation. Li Changshou's timely report prompted the Jade Emperor to change his mind. Hua Ri Tian then broadcast messages everywhere, announcing a potential ambush and ordering a temporary retreat. The Heavenly Generals he brought immediately became fully alert. Without panicking, they evacuated the area in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, deep within these ruins, in a grand hall that had largely collapsed, an old Daoist sat cross-legged in a corner, enveloped by layers of barriers. His face was somewhat pale, his aura trembled erratically, and his Daoist robe was stained with blood. Judging by the direction and pattern of the stains, it seemed he had been violently vomiting blood.

The hall was surprisingly cool, as if a formation isolated it from the pervasive heat waves of the Sun Star. In front of the old Daoist, the expelled blood had formed a small stream, circling around him. Anyone witnessing this would surely assume he was practicing some dark sorcery.

The old Daoist was completely unaware of the Heavenly Generals' comings and goings outside the Sun Star; his condition was extremely dire.

"Why is this happening? Why is this happening?"

The old Daoist opened his somewhat vacant eyes, his aura inexplicably beginning to tremble erratically once more, forcing him to close them again to calm the agitation within. His initial injury had come from his great treasure, the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger. While he was refining the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, its spirit suddenly awakened, and a single strike nearly took half his life. This forced the old Daoist to temporarily seal the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger and immediately focus on healing.

But what followed... Simple meditation would inexplicably invite inner demons; cautiously contemplating his own Dao would result in a tremor of the Great Dao, a phenomenon rare in ten thousand or even a hundred thousand years, leaving his own Dao damaged. When trying to find a healing pill, he would inexplicably grab the wrong storage artifact, and in a moment of dizziness, swallowed a poisonous one…

“Cough! Cough cough!”

The old Daoist suppressed a mouthful of blood, then reopened his eyes. This time, he carefully took a porcelain bottle from his robes, confirming repeatedly that it was indeed the one containing his precious healing elixirs. The old Daoist managed a slight smile, but after unsealing the bottle, his smile instantly froze. He tilted it, and a pile of pill fragments fell into his palm, their last vestiges of medicinal power quietly fading away...

The pill... shattered?! While it was true that pills could shatter if their medicinal properties went out of control, this... this was inexplicable! The corner of the old Daoist's mouth trembled, and two tears slowly traced paths down his aged cheeks.

What on earth is happening?

In fact, when these phenomena first began, the old Daoist immediately became vigilant, his first thought being— "Could it be that my fortune has diminished?" But the old Daoist cautiously performed a divination, finding that all his rightful fortune remained. Furthermore, the residual luck of the Demon Clan had transformed into a revitalizing fortune, converging upon him.

"Or have I incurred a debt of merit?" The old Daoist retrieved his second most precious treasure and examined it carefully. This was a curse book, crafted by the Demon Court's experts. The overall concept was proposed by Demon Master Kunpeng, intended as a secret art for the Demon Court to punish unruly demons.

The book was named 'Nail-Head Seven Arrows Scripture'. It was publicly claimed that by knowing a spirit's name and birth characters, one could ritually curse them to death. In reality, that was merely a facade; the Nail-Head Seven Arrows method was exceedingly difficult to perform. Firstly, a wisp of the cursed spirit's primordial spirit and a wisp of its aura were indispensable. These would then be infused into the scripture, and a straw effigy created, requiring daily, timed worship and arrow shooting.

The cost of performing the Nail-Head Seven Arrows Scripture was also immense. Most importantly, it would either deplete one's merit or diminish one's fortune. If the spell was interrupted midway, or if the practitioner's merit or fortune proved insufficient, the curse would backfire, causing the caster to dissolve into a pool of blood.

During the Demon Court's heyday, merit was abundant, and the Nail-Head Seven Arrows Scripture served as a hidden threat looming over all demons. But now, for this old Daoist, Lu Ya, this book was merely a keepsake. Opponents he could defeat in battle naturally didn't require this treasure. As for those he couldn't defeat, he lacked the immense merit and fortune required to curse such powerful experts to death, which would be tantamount to self-destruction.

Once he initially confirmed that this item was not the source of his misfortune, Daoist Lu Ya plunged into even deeper bewilderment. Even now, his injuries showed no signs of improvement, his Dao foundation teetered on the brink of collapse, and his situation was utterly dire.

"Could it be that Heaven intends to destroy me?"

Daoist Lu Ya looked up at the sky, only to see the dilapidated hall roof and the fiery sky woven by flames outside. He let out a bitter laugh, then shakily rose to his feet. Picking up a large gourd and slinging it over his back, he hobbled, hunched and stumbling, toward the deeper parts of the grand hall. He had only moved a few dozen paces before he fell several times, vomited blood repeatedly, his inner demons stirred restlessly, and all his strength felt completely drained.

The old Daoist reached a corner of the hall, managed to conjure a wisp of immortal power, activated a formation there, and stumbled headlong into it. The next instant, he vanished from his spot, reappearing within the very core of the Sun Star. However, this formation suddenly malfunctioned, and in an instant, it burned up.

Within the star core, a small sanctuary lay hidden amidst vibrant, multi-hued true Sun Fire. Daoist Lu Ya's figure collapsed before the sanctuary, surrounded by fire, momentarily transforming into a three-legged Golden Crow before swiftly reverting to a handsome youth in brocade robes. Dragging the large gourd, he stumbled inside.

The sanctuary was empty, save for a single crystal coffin. Outside was undeniably a cosmic wellspring of heat, yet within this place, a wisp of coldness, akin to that from the core of the Lunar Star, permeated the air. This cold wisp enveloped the crystal coffin, inside which lay a beautiful woman in white. She appeared to be fast asleep, yet still exuded a faint, inherent majesty.

The brocade-robed youth took a few steps to the woman's side, bent his knees, and knelt down. He took a soft breath and said mournfully: “Mother… please tell your child what I have done wrong again, that Heaven wishes to destroy me in this manner…”

The woman was merely a corpse, devoid of any spirit or soul, and naturally offered no response. Lu Ya gave a bitter laugh, feeling his injuries on the verge of relapse. He stood up and slowly made his way to the crystal coffin, sitting down beside his mother. His eyes slowly closed, his entire being conveying profound misery, and he hummed the ancient ballad…

“From Tang Valley, roaming the skies… Returning to Yu Yuan, bathing in Gan Yuan…”

“Alas.”

Suddenly, a sigh came from the side. Daoist Lu Ya's spirit jolted. He murmured 'Niangniang,' a white shadow flickered, and Lu Ya's figure vanished with it.

Meanwhile, in a valley situated on the border between the Southern Jambu Continent and the Eastern Divine Continent, the black panther, who was currently performing the 'pray when idle' ritual with his wife, suddenly let out a low growl, rolled his eyes, and slowly collapsed. The characters carved onto the wooden plaque bearing the name 'Daoist Lu Ya' had vanished into thin air.

“Husband! Husband, what's wrong with you?!” the water demon Miaomiao cried out in alarm.

Her cultivation was low, so she naturally couldn't see the black ganoderma mushroom that had appeared above the black panther's head. This ganoderma was rapidly disintegrating, wisps of profound Heavenly Dao power dissolving into nothingness. In a blink of an eye, the ganoderma was reduced to merely a tenth of its original size…

However, Li Changshou's paper avatar, hidden hundreds of miles away, witnessed the entire scene. The black panther's demonic soul had merely experienced a shock, causing him to fall unconscious, but he was otherwise unharmed. What was the deal with this ganoderma?

'A backlash?'

In the High Heavens Palace, Li Changshou frowned slightly, continuously pondering and calculating in his mind. Could it be that the Heavenly Dao Lord felt this fellow's 'toxicity' was too potent and forcibly weakened it? Or was Lu Ya's fortune too strong for the black panther's ritual to affect him? The scene of the black ganoderma disintegrating seemed to suggest a weakening of the black panther's 'potency'.

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then directly burned the paper avatar that had been present before the black panther and dispatched another one to 'monitor' the situation. In any case, no matter the situation, it had nothing to do with him, the humble Water God of the Heavenly Court.

“Chang Geng.” From the throne in the High Heavens Palace, the white-robed Jade Emperor opened his eyes and smiled. “I've already sent them back. Your memorial, Chang Geng, mentioned bringing the Underworld under the Heavenly Court's dominion and integrating it into the Three Realms' hierarchy. How should we proceed with this matter?”

Li Changshou smiled. “The Dragon Clan has Dragon Kings, and the Underworld has Yan Lords. When the time is ripe, Your Majesty could also confer a title upon the Great Virtue Houtu. While the Underworld does not lack merit, its nether officials also have their own concerns.”

“Oh?” The Jade Emperor's interest was piqued. “My esteemed Chang Geng, it appears you have thoroughly prepared. Tell me in detail; compared to dealing with the remnants of the Demon Court, this is truly a monumental task for revitalizing the Heavenly Court!”

Li Changshou performed a Daoist bow, deliberated briefly, and then spoke eloquently. This must begin with a small… ahem, with the Witch Clan of North Kuru!

The final outcome of the discussion was precisely as Li Changshou had anticipated: he was appointed the executive director for the next grand undertaking, receiving his letter of appointment from the Jade Emperor. Another substantial wave of merit beckoned him from ahead, seemingly calling out, 'Come forth, immortal!'

Fortunately, the Jade Emperor imposed no deadline, even advising him to rest for a few years and not expend too much mental energy. Li Changshou naturally accepted the command with gratitude, cautiously agreeing to it.

Half a day passed.

In the secret underground chamber of Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou slowly opened his eyes, a hint of weariness lingering within them. For the past half-day, he had simultaneously enjoyed drinks with Zhao Gongming and True Lord Huang Long, discussed with the Jade Emperor how to bring the Underworld under Heavenly Court governance, and kept a watchful eye on the black panther's condition, all while mentally deducing what had transpired with the creature. By the time his Water God paper avatar returned to the Water God's Residence, Master Zhao and True Lord Huang Long had finished their drinks and conversations, rising to take their leave. Coincidentally, the black panther also awoke at that moment…

Li Changshou suddenly found himself with free time, and could only listen in on the intimate conversation between the black panther and the water demon.

“Husband, what's wrong with you?”

“My dear wife, just now I seemed to see an embroidered ball before my eyes. The moment it swayed, I lost consciousness, and only the phrase 'Do not worship again' echoed in my mind.”

“Don't scare me. The writing on that wooden plaque has already vanished.”

“Oh? Could it be… that my divine ability isn't solely activated by speech?”

Li Changshou frowned deeply. An embroidered ball? He listened for a while longer. The black panther and the water demon's conversation gradually became less substantive, and then, increasingly, became indescribable. Li Changshou withdrew his attention, falling into deep thought.

Could it be that Daoist Lu Ya was affected too severely by the black panther's curse, nearly perished, and was then rescued by the owner of the embroidered ball? And then the owner of the embroidered ball intervened, warned the black panther, and even erased most of its 'potency'?

If the black panther is a tool of the Heavenly Dao, intended specifically to serve in the upcoming great tribulation, then wouldn't the owner of the embroidered ball's intervention incur a karmic debt with the Heavenly Dao, inevitably implicating them in the great tribulation later on? Li Changshou sensed the Dao rhythm of the Taiji Diagram emanating from his own person, and only then did he breathe a small sigh of relief. He had never imagined that his small, ingenious design from back then would ultimately involve a Saintess. Why did he suddenly get the illusion that he was being manipulated by the Heavenly Dao Lord once again…

Li Changshou sat there deep in thought. Matters concerning Saints demanded caution. This particular deliberation, however, lasted for two days and three nights. He returned to his thatched cottage, spreading out scroll paintings that filled the room, meticulously modifying certain details.

The Great Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, the schemes of the Six Saints… He must absolutely avoid any desire for a gamble. He could only align himself with the Heavenly Court, subtly intervene in the Great Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, and make limited changes to some of the Daoist sect's tragic outcomes. The Treasure-Dropping Copper Coin was now in his grasp, and Daoist Lu Ya would soon face another wave of the Jade Emperor's machinations. If he could eliminate Lu Ya beforehand and then keep a close watch on Randeng, that 'master of treachery,' there would be considerable room for maneuver in the Investiture of the Gods affair. Without the Sea-Calming Divine Beads, what would Randeng use to establish his Twenty-Four Heavens?

Li Changshou sat in his thatched cottage, calculating carefully. Having reached the Golden Immortal realm, he was no longer sensitive to the passage of time. A single, systematic session of contemplation could see five or six years pass by in a flash. During these five or six years, Li Changshou naturally had to divide his attention and be active outside. Assisting the Heavenly Court, coordinating with the Dragon Clan, establishing divine positions—numerous matters required his involvement, making the vacation promised by the Jade Emperor seem increasingly distant.

The Little Qiong Peak Relocation Plan was also proceeding 'in full swing'. Ling'e had meticulously organized all the 'details' of Little Qiong Peak, while Li Changshou had chosen a 'substitute peak' within a mountain range in the Southern Jambu Continent and commenced its comprehensive transformation. Priorities had to be set. Li Changshou planned to begin a detailed study of the Underworld only after the Little Qiong Peak Relocation Plan was complete. Only by relocating next to Laozi sooner could he safely scheme other matters without disturbance.

“Senior Brother,” Under the bright sunlight, Ling'e floated gracefully from outside the thatched cottage, carrying tea and snacks.

Li Changshou paused his brushwork, stretched, and covered the scroll painting in front of him, preventing Ling'e from seeing it and potentially getting entangled in its karma. He had not entered seclusion in recent years, allowing Ling'e free access to the thatched cottage. Earlier, Martial Uncle Jiu Jiu had also dropped by. Seeing that Li Changshou seemed to be 'composing a treatise,' she hadn't dared to disturb him much.

Ling'e knelt by the low table, offered him tea, and whispered, “Senior Brother, please don't overexert yourself.”

“No, it's nothing,” Li Changshou said, taking a sip of tea. “Human abilities have their limits, and I, too, may make miscalculations. I can only strive to be as thorough as possible, repeatedly checking for any omissions or flaws.”

Ling'e pursed her lips, unsure how she could ease her Senior Brother's burdens.

Li Changshou smiled. “So many youths have already arrived outside the mountain gate, hoping to become disciples…”

“Yes,” Ling'e replied, then recounted amusing anecdotes she had heard within the sect recently. Which elder discovered a promising talent and took them on as a disciple early, or which disciple turned out to be a distant relative of an immortal within the sect, separated by a thousand years.

Li Changshou listened with a smile, his immortal consciousness carefully observing the youths gathered outside the mountain gate, searching for any exceptionally promising talents. Suddenly, a flash of insight, accompanied by a strong premonition. Li Changshou's gaze settled on a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, dressed in coarse cloth. The youth was bruised and swollen, with a few lingering injuries, as if he had tumbled quite a distance down the steps before the mountain gate. At that moment, he was gnawing on a piece of dried food, his eyes conveying a steady, unwavering resolve, and a precocity that was almost heartbreaking.

Who is this? For him to experience such a premonition, could this be one of the fated individuals of the Great Investiture of the Gods Tribulation? Li Changshou's interest was immediately piqued. A wisp of sound transmission entered the youth's ear.

“Who are you?”

The youth paused, then looked up, glancing in various directions. Li Changshou transmitted again: “Stop looking. I am within the mountain, speaking to you through magic.”

The youth was startled, immediately rose to his feet, knelt before the mountain gate, and shouted loudly: “I… Your disciple's name is Li Jing! I am a human from the Southern Jambu Continent! My disciple's hometown has been repeatedly invaded by demons. I beg the immortal to teach me Daoist arts and immortal techniques, so that I may protect my homeland's peace!”

Li Jing? Hmm, this child's journey hasn't been easy; his cloth shoes have holes, and the several pairs in his pack are all worn through. He possesses Qi Refining realm cultivation, suggesting he ran directly from the Southern Continent. It's just a pity that his aptitude isn't particularly outstanding, so the sect probably won't… accept him…

Wait a minute, what's this guy's name?

Li Changshou, who was sipping his tea, abruptly turned and spat out a mouthful of water mist. Ling'e, caught completely off guard, could only shut her eyes tightly, enduring this sudden 'attack' from the Water God.