Chapter 338: Heavenly Court Civil Officials, Not Good at Fighting Magic

In the main hall of the West Sea Dragon Palace, Li Changshou was holding forth, meticulously detailing the 'slight' peculiarities of his seven gourd spirits.

Just dozens of feet from Li Changshou's true body, beyond the aquatic confines, Grand Master Xuan Du was smiling with narrowed eyes, occasionally casting a discreet glance at Fairy Yunxiao in the distance.

Grand Master Xuan Du had, indeed, invested an unprecedented level of enthusiasm in this battle...

However, the Grand Master's focus was somewhat unusual; he was entirely preoccupied with observing Fairy Yunxiao's reactions.

Should Yunxiao find any of Li Changshou's actions unappealing, or misunderstand his character as overly flippant, the Grand Master would immediately send a message to Li Changshou, prompting him to display the side of himself that had, that day, caused the spiritual explosion of Golden Cicada.

While Li Changshou's appearance, having been chased for tens of thousands of miles by Golden Cicada, was indeed somewhat dishevelled;

once the grand formation trapped Golden Cicada, Li Changshou's figure, not even turning his head or glancing at the spiritual explosion behind him, was, admittedly, quite cool.

This was the top priority!

However, the Grand Master soon realized he had been overly concerned.

Yunxiao's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she quite appreciated Li Changshou's way of doing things...

Especially, when the nearly indistinguishable gourd avatars appeared, Yunxiao showed a faint smile again, her eyes holding a hint of expectation.

Consequently, the Grand Master sent a voice transmission to Li Changshou, saying:

"Your performance is quite good. Junior Sister Yunxiao increasingly appreciates you, but don't go too far with your deception, otherwise, it might appear frivolous and reckless."

Li Changshou: ...

Weren't these all perfectly normal strategies?

Distracting the enemy, disrupting their attack rhythm, and thereby achieving the goal of delaying time without direct combat.

Alright, since the Grand Master found it inappropriate, he should also respect the opinion of a top Human Cultivator.

Li Changshou paused his speech, calculating in his mind the arrival time of the experts from the Three Dragon Palaces, and slowly descended from mid-air.

His long hair and flowing sleeves danced in the water, his body enveloped in a faint aura of profound yellow energy, as he stood before the seven gourd children.

"Everyone," Li Changshou said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the assembled enemies, "would you like to experience the wonder of my Gourd Vine?"

As Ao Shi, the protagonist of today's palace drama, was about to speak, several dark figures darted out from beside him, their cloaks flying off, revealing figures that were either handsome or beautiful.

The human forms of the Primordial Fierce Beasts were all so full of 'deception'.

Li Changshou's smile remained calm; though outnumbered by enemies, he still had a certain degree of confidence...

Well, to give the Pagoda Master some face, he now had ninety-five percent confidence!

Though the fierce beasts were ferocious, Li Changshou had experience fighting Golden Cicada and was also acquainted with Daoist Wen Jing, so he already knew the true strength of these fierce beasts.

The Primordial Fierce Beasts had been abandoned by the Heavenly Dao, their respective cultivation realms long since sealed by the Heavenly Dao, eliminating any possibility of further advancement on the Grand Dao since ancient times.

What was truly troublesome were the fierce beasts' respective 'innate divine abilities' and 'racial talents'.

Such as Daoist Wen Jing's blood mosquito puppet technique and her blood-draining, ash-annihilating art;

and Golden Cicada's innate spatial escape technique, the 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell' which had left a deep impression on Li Changshou...

These were the main reasons why these fierce beasts were difficult to deal with.

At this moment, several fierce beasts in human form attacked first...

It was clear that these fierce beasts merely wanted to ignite the battle, without giving Li Changshou more opportunities to speak;

At this point, they held back in their attacks; even though they were only a hundred zhang away, they stopped midway, halting their advance.

Several beams of dark light and a puddle of black water were sprayed towards Li Changshou's head.

Li Changshou remained composed, standing still. These attacks landed on him, but couldn't even harm a single strand of his hair;

The black water even transformed into faint wisps of smoke, evaporating instantly.

What kind of cultivation level was this?

The few fierce beasts that attacked, and the many experts observing from behind, were all startled, while Li Changshou, even as he endured their attacks, had already begun his counterattack.

Combat was not turn-based.

Among the seven gourd spirit children, First Gourd to Fifth Gourd each took a step in a different direction!

The lingering rhymes of the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—emerged, and the five spirit children, with their large heads, big eyes, and cropped hair, seemed to instantly execute five distinct escape techniques!

The few fierce beasts, however, let out a cold laugh, thinking that while such escape techniques were swift, they were not without a trace to follow...

How could this be?!

The Daoist rhymes left by the Five-Element escape techniques had not yet dispersed, and faint ripples appeared in the ten-zhang radius of space, yet the aura of the five gourd spirit children had completely vanished!

It was unclear how many times it had happened already, but one could hear a pin drop in the main hall.

But this silence lasted for less than a breath!

Without warning, five small, chubby hands simultaneously appeared behind these fierce beasts, each clutching a handful of silver needles, and with lightning speed, jabbed them into the necks of the fierce beasts!

The five small, chubby hands retreated as soon as they pricked, and vanished instantly.

A few low growls were heard, as the five fierce beasts who had stepped forward first, now in human form, either erupted in dazzling light all over their bodies or immediately turned to strike with fists and palms!

But all they could grasp were faint spatial ripples, like waves on water!

Spatial escape technique!

Wait...

Those five children just now, clutching handfuls of silver needles, had forcefully pricked them...

An inexplicable hot sensation emerged from the needle pricks on these fierce beasts, sweeping through their entire bodies in an instant, giving them no chance to resist!

The eyes of these five fierce beasts suddenly turned crimson, but their expressions were... profound and indescribable.

"Mmngh..."

A fierce beast, transformed into a woman, let out a soft groan through gritted teeth, her forehead covered in fragrant sweat, and her eyes gradually becoming hazy.

She suddenly turned around and flew towards the palace entrance, her aura trembling erratically.

Immediately after, the other four fierce beasts followed, without a word, vanishing from the palace entrance in an instant, each faster than the last.

Leaving behind the traitorous dragons and the remaining fierce beasts bewildered, they exchanged bewildered glances.

Li Changshou smiled faintly with composure, as First Gourd to Fifth Gourd returned to stand before him, resuming their original forms, still as harmless as before.

This scene was truly bizarre and baffling.

Suddenly, the group of Primordial Fierce Beasts, who had originally been so aggressive, now facing the 'divine ability' of this Heavenly Court Sea God, all showed signs of retreat.

Ao Shi took a deep breath, advanced with his sword, his golden robes shimmering with brilliant light.

As the protagonist, he had to step forward.

"Water God, you truly possess great skill, but today, I absolutely cannot allow you to sever my dragon race's great fortune!"

No sooner had Ao Shi finished speaking than a low growl was heard from a distance outside the hall. Streams of immortal consciousness swept out, and many dragon experts and Primordial Fierce Beasts changed their expressions.

What they saw was a chaotic and indescribable scene in the distant seawater; their 'accomplices' who had been there a moment ago, were now behaving disgracefully, as if they had lost their minds.

Li Changshou stood there with an air of composure, and calmly said:

"Everyone should know that this humble Daoist is a member of the Human School, and also skilled in the art of alchemy.

Last time, to eliminate the Six-Winged Golden Cicada, this humble Daoist made some backup preparations, never expecting them to be put to use today.

Please rest assured, everyone, I only have a few dozen of these silver needles mixed with 'love flower' poison. If you trust me, feel free to come at me.

Don't be afraid, everyone, this humble Daoist is merely a Heavenly Court civil official, not a military general.'"

He was speaking the truth; those silver needles were indeed prepared as a backup for Golden Cicada, but they hadn't been used.

The medicinal effects on those silver needles had been instantly activated just now, and there was no trace left.

The so-called 'love flower' poison was refined from 'passion water,' the raw material for refining 'Ambition Pills'; there were only a few dozen of them to begin with, and once used, they were gone...

However, at this moment, the calmer Li Changshou spoke, the more chaotic the scene in the distance became, and the more these adversaries were...

disbelieving.

Grand Master Xuan Du, observing secretly, twitched at the corner of his mouth, and Fairy Yunxiao couldn't help but rub her forehead;

Inside Li Changshou's mind, the Pagoda Master was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe, reprimanding Li Changshou playfully with laughter...

Ao Shi recovered his senses, and gritted his teeth, scolding:

"Where are the elders!"

"Prince Ao Shi," Li Changshou calmly said, "besides yelling for others to advance, do you possess any other abilities?"

Immediately, Li Changshou took a step forward, his eyelids slightly lowered.

Behind him, First Gourd to Fifth Gourd each leaped up, positioning themselves at five corners around the West Sea Dragon King and the loyal dragon and immortal-jiao soldiers, and each unfastened the gourd from their heads.

These small gourds were actually five array foundations, which, activated by the five spirit children, transformed into a Five-Element Defensive Array, channeling water spirit energy into Five-Element power, and expanding into a translucent light membrane.

Although the Gourd Vine was somewhat comical, it was indeed one of Li Changshou's trump cards, though its appearance was a bit...

a homage, yes, a homage.

Meanwhile, Sixth Gourd and Seventh Gourd were already seated cross-legged within the Five-Element Grand Array; the transparent Sixth Gourd's actions were unknown, while Seventh Gourd deduced a Water-Fire Taiji diagram and applied it to enhance the formation.

Li Changshou didn't turn his head, but took a few more steps forward, his gaze fixed on Ao Shi, his entire being exuding an indescribable aura of majesty.

Five steps, six steps...

Li Changshou single-handedly faced thousands of experts, his eyes fixed solely on the gold-glowing Ao Shi.

"Prince Ao Shi, do you still remember what your own Dao is?"

Ao Shi's brows furrowed, and he subconsciously wanted to retreat;

but he also knew that if he retreated, he would become a discarded pawn of the Western Sect. At this moment, he could only grit his teeth and stand firm.

Dozens of dragon experts closest to Ao Shi collectively stepped forward, each releasing their oppressive aura to intimidate the Heavenly Court Sea God.

Li Changshou remained oblivious, still advancing unhurriedly.

Ten steps, twelve steps...

"How dare the Water God show such arrogance!"

A dragon-headed elder roared in fury, raised his hand in a claw gesture, and remotely clawed at Li Changshou. A spectral dragon claw, dozens of feet in diameter, pressed down directly on Li Changshou's head!

Li Changshou's figure remained unmoving, and the dragon claw shattered instantly.

Like a stone thrown into a pond causing a thousand ripples, dozens of dragon-headed elders simultaneously attacked. The West Sea Dragon Palace vibrated violently in all directions, divine abilities erupted ceaselessly, spiritual energy surged everywhere, and space itself became unstable. Many luxurious ornaments in this crystal palace shattered all at once.

But...

After the tremors subsided, Li Changshou still stood there, a faint aura of profound yellow energy drifting around him, not a single strand of his hair broken.

However, Li Changshou also noticed that when he forcefully withstood these attacks, he could only stand unmoving.

Perhaps everything had a balance, and this was the Heavenly Dao's restriction on the Exquisite Pagoda of Heaven and Earth... perhaps.

"Everyone, have you had enough?"

Li Changshou's eyelids were half-lowered, and he exhaled softly.

A dragon-headed elder, as if waking from a dream, suddenly shouted: "He must possess a supreme treasure for protection!"

Instantly, most of the dozens of old dragons who had just attacked felt greatly relieved, but then their brows furrowed tightly again.

Ao Shi, who had already hidden himself among the crowd, immediately shouted: "Then trap him and kill Ao Run first!"

Ao Run, his father's name.

Within the Five-Element Grand Array, the West Sea Dragon King closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Li Changshou, standing alone before thousands of experts, showed a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and calmly said: "This Soul Transference Curse is truly formidable; it has allowed a spirit to obliterate its true nature to this extent."

"Attack!"

Ao Shi's handsome face was twisted in a savage expression, and after his shout, the dozens of dragon elders lunged at Li Changshou;

The thousands of figures behind them split into two groups, about to bypass Li Changshou and charge towards the West Sea Dragon King...

This was the moment Li Changshou had been waiting for!

Ahead, numerous divine abilities and spells came crashing down again, but Li Changshou's figure silently dispersed, causing all these attacks to miss.

A dragon elder immediately shouted: "Water Escape technique!"

Just then, dozens of fist-sized water currents collided head-on with this group of dragon experts!

Although these old dragons reacted with incredible speed, unleashing dragon power one after another to strike, half of the water currents still slipped past their bodies, converging towards Ao Shi.

The speed of the water currents suddenly increased severalfold!

Ao Shi's mind was violently shaken, and his spiritual senses wildly throbbed!

"Your Highness, retreat quickly!"

The rebellious dragons of the West Sea swarmed towards Ao Shi, while divine abilities filled the sky, intercepting the water currents.

These twenty-one water currents suddenly transformed again, some turning from water to metal, others from water to wind, some generating spatial ripples, or turning into ice shards and darting forward...

Escape techniques!

All escape techniques!

They dazzled the eyes, but left everyone utterly clueless as to the whereabouts of the Water God's true body!

The rebellious dragons were also not slow, as figures swiftly surrounded Ao Shi, using their physical bodies to block all directions—front, back, left, right, up, and down. Dozens of experts formed a sphere...

But...

"Tsk tsk."

These dozens of dragon experts, facing outwards, suddenly heard a soft chuckle from behind them, causing their hairs to stand on end.

Right in front of these experts, within this 'sphere' formed by the dragon experts, in mere an instant!

A treasured diagram appeared out of thin air, from which dozens of illusory rivers surged forth, directly suppressing Ao Shi and swallowing him into the diagram.

Li Changshou's figure emerged from a wisp of ice-blue flame, standing amidst the heavy encirclement. He casually put away the treasured diagram, calmly tucking it into his sleeve.

Hardly anyone noticed that faint spatial ripples immediately appeared within his sleeve...

"Quick, save His Highness!"

"Seal off space! Don't let him escape again!"

In an instant, these dozens of dragon-headed elders used their respective dragon powers to suppress space, sealing off a hundred-zhang radius of the cosmic realm!

Then they heard...

"Everyone."

Li Changshou's voice suddenly came from the direction of the throne, startling all the experts in the hall simultaneously!

They looked at the spot surrounded by dozens of dragon-headed elders; there stood a white-haired, white-robed Heavenly Court Water God;

then they looked at the Five-Element Formation, where another white-robed, white-haired figure stood calmly...

A Heavenly Court Water God!

It was no secret that the Water God was extremely adept at the art of avatars.

But when had he swapped places? When had he exchanged positions? When had he shifted his form and shadow?

And that spatial escape technique, how could it be so silent and traceless?

Li Changshou let out a soft chuckle, took out the treasured diagram from his sleeve, and with a casual flick, threw Ao Shi, the West Sea Dragon Palace Crown Prince, who was currently unconscious with his dragon soul suppressed by the Great Yu Controlling the Waters Diagram, onto the ground.

Ao Shi was not inherently powerful; his cultivation had been forcefully elevated before, and his actual combat strength barely matched that of an ordinary Golden Immortal sect leader of the Empty Sect.

Clutching Ao Shi's neck with his left hand, Li Changshou calmly said:

"Even without using a supreme treasure, what can you do to me?

Oh, and by the way, that avatar of mine, it's not just an avatar."

At this moment, the spatial seal had not yet dispersed, and dozens of dragon-headed elders turned their heads to look at the avatar Li Changshou had left behind...

They saw that beneath the avatar's robes, seventy-two spots of light had appeared!

Not only that, in the avatar's abdomen, the Golden Core, having previously received dozens of streams of spiritual energy, had begun to vibrate violently!

A surge of Heavenly Dao power suddenly appeared, and the Golden Core shattered instantly!

Earthly Fiend Spiritual Explosion Array – Golden Immortal Core Enhanced Version!

A dazzling 'sun' rose into the air; Li Changshou had already pulled Ao Shi in front of him, and conveniently dragged the stunned Ox-Head and Horse-Face into the Five-Element Formation with his immortal power.

A few words from Ao Yi echoed in Li Changshou's mind. His fingers left several afterimages as he instantly tapped three areas on Ao Shi's back, coccyx, and the back of his head.

The horns on Ao Shi's forehead flickered with light, and his body suddenly expanded, transforming into a black dragon hundreds of zhang long amidst golden light. Li Changshou coiled him up, using him as a shield to guard the front of the Five-Element Formation...

That day, it was as if the Sun Star had fallen into the seabed.

Above the West Sea Dragon Palace, the ocean surface slowly bulged into a hundred-mile-diameter sphere of water, as beams of spiritual energy pierced through the sky...

"I already said, this humble Daoist is not skilled in combat, but merely a Heavenly Court civil official."