Chapter 342: Willing to Care for the People

“Ao Yi… Ao Yi!”

Outside the East Sea Dragon Palace, a fierce battle raged between the Dragon Clan and the rebel sea forces. Hundreds of thousands of beings surged and fought above and below the sea within a radius of several hundred miles, churning the surface into layers of waves. This was just one of more than a dozen battlefields on the periphery of the East Sea conflict. The rebel sea forces seemed to have gone mad, putting immense pressure on the Dragon Clan’s defenses, which were formed by immortal flood dragons, shrimp soldiers, and crab generals.

Ao Yi was there, leading several hundred elite immortal flood dragon soldiers, fighting fiercely through the enemy lines. Suddenly hearing Li Changshou’s voice transmission, Ao Yi immediately retreated into the encirclement of the immortal flood dragon soldiers and pulled a silk pouch from his robes. The pouch opened, and a paper effigy jumped out, transforming into the appearance of a young Taoist.

“Brother Teacher?” Ao Yi saw the paper effigy’s brow furrowed and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Li Changshou wasted no words, stating firmly: “The Grandmaster has left the North Sea Eye. Though the Dragon Clan sustained some damage, the Sea Eye is safe. The South Sea Eye faced a strong offensive, but there wasn’t a single powerful figure among the attackers. The East Sea Eye is in grave danger! Quickly inform your father, the Dragon King! All East Sea experts must seal and suppress the surrounding cosmos near the Sea Eye!”

Ao Yi visibly paused, but his movements were swift as he pulled out a jade talisman from his robes. However, before he could activate the talisman’s enchantment, the hundreds of thousands of beings battling in the area simultaneously froze for an instant. Then, the entire sea began to tremble gently. The Great Dao vibrated, and the cosmos quaked!

Li Changshou and Ao Yi exchanged glances. Ao Yi’s handsome face turned ashen. “Brother…”

“Don’t be afraid. We were just a step too late.” Li Changshou offered a slight, confident smile. “It’s alright. Divert half of the Dragon Clan experts from this location to the Sea Eye for support. There are many ancient war dragons at the Sea Eye; they’ll surely hold out for a while. Don’t worry, I already have a plan to deal with this. Keep this paper effigy with you, and I’ll tell you what to do next at any time.”

“Understood!” A newfound calmness entered Ao Yi’s eyes. The horns on his forehead glowed faintly, and a dragon’s roar echoed far and wide. Dozens of Dragon Clan experts, who had been effortlessly cutting through enemies, immediately turned, transformed into their azure dragon forms, and sped toward the source of the cosmic tremor. Li Changshou’s paper effigy had already reverted to its paper form and slipped back into Ao Yi’s sleeve. Ao Yi handed command of the area to his deputy, then transformed into his true Azure Dragon form and pursued his kin ahead.

Meanwhile, at the confluence of the South and East Seas, within the streaking light darting through the water, Li Changshou sighed inwardly. His earlier words were merely to comfort Ao Yi. Li Changshou did have a plan, but it was now too late to enact it. The Western Sect’s retaliation had unleashed their true power. The local balance of forces at the East Sea Eye must have already been lost. Indeed, there was no ‘must have’; according to the situation observed by the paper effigy, the situation was completely beyond the Dragon Clan’s control.

Following the cosmic upheaval that had just swept across a hundred thousand miles, more than a dozen cracks appeared near the East Sea Eye, from which black-scaled flood dragons, wreathed in bloody aura, flew out. Asura secret techniques, blood sea defilement! These flood dragons were now continuously surging forth, their numbers unknown. Mixed among these black-scaled flood dragons were six-armed and eight-armed Blood Sea Asuras. And that wasn’t all: within a hundred miles of the Sea Eye, hundreds, even thousands, of cloaked black figures mysteriously appeared. Working with the Western experts who had first engaged in skirmishes, they began to suppress the dragons of the East Sea Dragon Palace. Demon Clan, Asura Clan, ancient ferocious beasts... the dark forces of the Western Sect had gathered in the East Sea!

Witnessing this, Li Changshou could only sigh inwardly: ‘The West has a true master.’ Demons, Asuras, and ferocious beasts, burdened by karma, had long been abandoned by the Heavenly Dao. Even if they bore a portion of the karma for breaking the Sea Eye’s seal, their situation would be no different from now. The Western Sect had never acknowledged these malevolent spirits as their own. Today’s events wouldn’t implicate the Western Sect, yet they would serve as a deterrent to any who might oppose the West in the future. As an added bonus, they could also seize the Dragon Clan’s accumulated wealth.

Had he previously underestimated the West? Li Changshou reflected, but found he hadn’t underestimated the West in the slightest; rather, he had always been sufficiently cautious. Even when circumstances required him to confront the West, he always left himself a retreat. This loss of control was due, firstly, to the Western Sect’s inherent strength, which was now unified. Secondly, the Western Sect’s modus operandi had suddenly changed drastically, shifting from their previous arrogance and complacency to ruthless decisiveness. Li Changshou truly wanted to know which expert of the Western Sect was orchestrating this battle from behind the scenes. A Saint personally planning it? If so, he should have already received a reminder from his esteemed Lord Grand Pure. The current struggle had clearly not escalated to the level of Saints.

Suppressing these thoughts, Li Changshou continuously pondered countermeasures, his water-traveling technique pushed to its limit. But he had now clearly seen the situation at the East Sea Eye. The Dragon Clan had already lost ground! Large numbers of black-scaled blood dragons surged from the cracks, directly attacking the Sea Eye. From the depths of the Sea Eye, dozens of ancient dragons first flew out from the edges, proactively engaging the enemy. But as these ancient dragons emerged, the Sea Eye clearly trembled slightly, and the dragons currently blocking it immediately came under even greater pressure! The Dragon Clan experts battling on the periphery tried to return for support, but the Asura and Demon Clan experts moved forward to intercept them, completely cutting off the Dragon Clan’s reinforcements with a pincer attack.

Though the ancient war dragons were powerful and fierce in battle, firstly, they dared not fully unleash their dragon power at the Sea Eye, and secondly, the black-scaled flood dragons were simply too numerous. After just a few moments of engagement, the ancient dragons were bitten and torn, covered in wounds. Too many ants can kill an elephant; too many flood dragons can destroy a dragon. The bloody aura surrounding the black-scaled flood dragons also seemed to be highly poisonous, continuously seeping into the ancient dragons’ wounds. The defense line formed by the ancient dragons shattered almost instantly. These war dragons could only quickly retreat, and then, above the Sea Eye, they used their life essence to erect a thick protective barrier. The many grand formations deployed here had already been shattered during the first wave of sneak attacks by the Western malevolent spirits.

From Li Changshou’s outsider perspective, the Western Sect’s scheme involved three interconnected battlefronts, employing both overt and covert strategies. The current predicament, which left the Dragon Clan so passive, was precisely because they hadn’t followed Li Changshou’s arrangements, committing all their strength at once and being directly entrapped by the enemy. Li Changshou understood this, and at that moment, he began to consider what he could do if the Sea Eye were truly breached.

At the East Sea Eye, one after another, black-scaled flood dragons surged forward, colliding and biting like mad creatures. The temporarily erected grand formation was on the verge of collapsing. Li Changshou found it hard to continue observing the scene when a high-pitched dragon’s roar suddenly erupted from his side. An ancient Azure Dragon smashed through dozens of surrounding black figures, instantly transforming into a several tens of thousands of feet long behemoth. Its massive tail swept across, instantly clearing away nearly half of the black flood dragons above the Sea Eye! The Dragon King, Ao Guang!

At that very moment, a burly black shadow leapt out from a cosmic fissure. This shadow rapidly expanded in the seawater, transforming directly into a three-headed black flood dragon. Its immense body was no less massive than the East Sea Dragon King’s. It directly slammed the Dragon King away from above the Sea Eye, and the two quickly engaged in a fierce battle in the seabed. One massive black-scaled flood dragon after another appeared above the Sea Eye, rushing relentlessly towards it!

Li Changshou seemed to hear the roars of these black-scaled flood dragons, as if hearing their countless ages of resentment. They were merely a type of soldier meticulously selected by the Dragon Clan. They were merely guards of the Dragon Clan, servants of true dragons, unworthy of any dignity. Arrogant and extravagant Dragon Clan offspring could take their lives at will. No matter how high their cultivation or how strong their power, they had to kneel before those useless dragons. Moreover, once their strength reached a certain level, their cultivation would be crippled, and they would be used as breeding dragons, to give birth and procreate, providing more flood dragon eggs for the Dragon Clan. Most of those dragon eggs, their descendants, became useless waste, becoming the first targets for those black-scaled flood dragons with outstanding talent to fight when they matured. Lashing and cursing; endurance and degradation. They were the Dragon Clan’s weapons, yet they were also living beings of flesh and blood! Living beings!

In the battle, the three-headed giant flood dragon was no match for the Dragon King and quickly fell into defeat, one of its necks already seized by the Dragon King’s bite!

“Ao Guang!” The three-headed giant flood dragon roared, raising its head: “Your Dragon Clan shall surely end by the hands of flood dragons!” Then, the giant flood dragon struggled violently, its left neck snapping clean off, showering blood! Yet, the three-headed giant dragon used the momentum to turn and once again charged towards the deep pit of the Sea Eye! The Dragon King’s body swayed, about to rush forward to block, but boundless bloody aura surged around the three-headed giant flood dragon. This aura condensed into a blood-red azure dragon, obstructing Ao Guang for two breaths! That brief moment was enough. Despair filled the Dragon King’s eyes! The immense body of the three-headed giant flood dragon rapidly plummeted towards the Sea Eye! Black-scaled flood dragons transformed into streaks of black light, flying and intertwining around the giant flood dragon, as if merging with it. In an instant, the black flood dragon transformed into a massive ‘black sphere’! That grand formation shattered at a touch!

The multitude of dragons within the Sea Eye roared in fury, the bodies of each dragon bursting with intense light, seemingly connecting into a vast net. Ao Guang, in his tens of thousands of feet long azure dragon form, let out a roar that shook the East Sea, fearlessly slamming into the giant flood dragon from the side, but it was already too late to stop it. Suddenly, a Water-Fire Taiji Diagram appeared above the Sea Eye, rapidly materializing in the seawater! Li Changshou’s spirit vibrated at the sight; the Grandmaster had arrived!

At that very moment, a flash of sword light streaked through the intersecting cosmic fissures above the Sea Eye. A gleaming silver treasure sword actually severed the Water-Fire Taiji Diagram conjured by the Grandmaster! Where the sword light passed, the cosmos tore open with another fissure. The sharpness of a single sword, capable of rending the cosmos! Li Changshou was still wondering what kind of sword it was when he heard the excited shouts of Old Man Pagoda in his mind. “Yuantu Sword! Holy crap, that’s the Yuantu Sword! Quick, go let it cut us a couple of times! How many years has it been since we felt pain!”

Li Changshou: …

With no time to retort, Li Changshou stopped his escape technique. He was now near the East Sea Dragon Palace, only tens of thousands of miles from the Sea Eye. But he was half a step too late. The massive ball of black-scaled flood dragons had already smashed through the ‘dragon body dam’ at the Sea Eye. Azure dragons cried out in anguish, heaven and earth changed color, and boundless bloody light suddenly erupted from the Sea Eye, from which powerful torrents of seawater surged forth! At this instant, all five continents of the Primordial World trembled gently.

What more could he do now? Li Changshou stood there, deep in thought. His figure flickered, appearing directly above the East Sea, transforming into a white cloud, gazing towards the Sea Eye. There, a water sphere several thousand miles in diameter slowly bulged upwards. From a high-altitude perspective, it was as if the East Sea had become a clear spring, with the Sea Eye as its source. Boundless seawater surged from the Sea Eye…

His Dao Heart trembled, and a blurry image appeared in Li Changshou’s mind. The East Sea Eye erupted, sending monstrous waves across the East Continent, and engulfing most of the South Continent, causing immense suffering and death to all living beings! ‘Does the Heavenly Dao not care?’ Li Changshou looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with doubt, then a sudden realization dawned on him. The polluted spring was originally condensed from the karma of creation, mixed with the grievances of heaven and earth towards living beings. This was the karma of all spirits. Only by bearing this karma for all living beings could the Dragon Clan atone for the karmic debt they accumulated by shattering the Primordial World in ancient times.

What could he do now? Li Changshou’s mind raced. If the tragedy he had just envisioned truly occurred, the Daoist Saints, closely linked to the human race, would surely have appeared by now. In other words, there must be a way to block the Sea Eye. Did the Dragon Clan necessarily have to sacrifice a large number of their kin today? Were they to repeat the ancient tragedy? If that were true, pledging allegiance to the Heavenly Court would be useless, and he would have failed the Dragon Clan.

Suddenly, he heard: “Brother Teacher… the Sea Eye, the Sea Eye has been breached.” Li Changshou’s Dao Heart tensed. He split half his mind, focusing it on Ao Yi’s side. The dozens of azure dragons accompanying Ao Yi now floated in the seawater, their dragon eyes filled with bewilderment, several images appearing in their minds. Li Changshou’s paper effigy transformed into the young Taoist and appeared beside Ao Yi. Ao Yi unconsciously reverted to his youthful human form, his eyes reddened, and he suddenly shed two tears.

“Brother…” Ao Yi instinctively reached out to the side. Li Changshou immediately raised his hand, grasping Ao Yi’s in return.

“I’m here.”

“The Sea Eye is breached,” Ao Yi whispered, his breathing seemingly labored. “I just saw Father desperately trying to block the Sea Eye, but it kept breaking open, and his scales were covered in blood. I also saw tidal waves engulfing the land, countless casualties among land creatures, and innumerable Divine Lightning of Zixiao striking our kin to ashes. And I saw countless of our kin rushing towards the Sea Eye, only to be torn apart by it…”

So it was. The will of the Heavenly Dao was for the Dragon Clan to fill it with their lives. This was the will of Heaven, this was the Heavenly Dao. Even though the Dragon Clan had submitted to the Heavenly Court, essentially working for the Heavenly Dao, they still couldn’t alter their own destiny.

“Brother!” The confusion had vanished from Ao Yi’s eyes. Tears streamed down his handsome face, yet he offered Li Changshou a slight smile. He released Li Changshou’s hand, stepped back two paces, and bowed to Li Changshou. “After all this time… Thank you.” With that, he turned, letting out a high-pitched dragon’s roar. The dozens of azure dragons around him, who had seen the same visions, rushed forward again without hesitation.

But… just as Ao Yi was about to transform into his dragon form, his feet staggered, his eyes closed powerlessly, and he collapsed into the seawater. The azure dragons ahead suddenly turned back. Li Changshou had already stepped forward, supporting Ao Yi, and declared loudly: “Everyone, if you trust me, the Water God, I will protect Ao Yi’s life. The responsibility Ao Yi was going to fulfill, I will undertake with my avatar!”

Light surged around these dozens of azure dragons, each transforming into human form, bowing deeply to Li Changshou. Then, without a word, they transformed back into azure dragons and rushed at full speed towards the Sea Eye. It wasn’t just them. Thousands of azure dragons flew out from the East Sea Dragon Palace, most without high combat power, yet they didn’t look back. From various battlegrounds across the East Sea, one azure dragon after another, ignoring their injuries, broke away from the fights and flew at full speed towards the Sea Eye. Like moths to a flame, but these moths were fully conscious. And in the South Sea, North Sea, and West Sea, more or fewer dragons capable of reaching the East Sea for support immediately rushed towards the East Sea Eye.

At this moment, the instigators, the large numbers of malevolent beings sent by the Western Sect, brazenly dispersed into the distance, rapidly departing from the East Sea Eye through various teleportation arrays and cosmic fissures. Similarly, in the fiercely contested areas of the North and South Seas, the Western Sect experts left a small number of cannon fodder behind to cover their retreat and swiftly withdrew. The seabed not far from the East Sea Dragon Palace suddenly collapsed, and the East Sea Dragon Palace’s largest treasury vanished without a trace. The West’s objective had been achieved.

“Have they retreated…” Li Changshou suppressed his anger. One had to admit, the one who orchestrated today’s battle was truly ruthless. Sentimental thoughts were useless; it was better to focus on how to help the Dragon Clan. Li Changshou’s spiritual sense swept across the area, watching the figures of dragons in the Sea Eye’s torrent, rushing forward only to be instantly pushed back and torn apart. They couldn’t block it, couldn’t stop it, but still charged forward with their lives. The Dragon Clan was almost mad with desperation. If they didn’t block it, their clan would be annihilated within days!

Li Changshou then looked to the sky above the Sea Eye. There, Duke Dongmu, leading a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers, burst from the sea surface and gathered in the high heavens. He couldn’t wait any longer; he had to do something, no matter what. With a flick of his right hand, Li Changshou grasped an iron rod. The rod trembled gently, as if confiding in him. ‘Can it be done?’ Li Changshou saw no hope of success, but he himself wouldn’t be harmed. With this iron rod, recalling its future ability to change size, perhaps he could seize a glimmer of hope for the Dragon Clan! The Great Dao has fifty, but Heavenly Manifestations are forty-nine. Could this iron rod be the Dragon Clan’s ‘escaped one’?

“Duke Mu!” Li Changshou emerged from the white cloud, his loud shout echoing across ten thousand miles! His white robes billowed, his white hair flew, the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda appeared above his head, his left hand clutched the Cosmos Ruler, and with swift steps, his figure flickered continuously in the high sky, rapidly making his way to the ‘surging spring’ in the sea. Duke Dongmu couldn’t help but be overjoyed, shouting: “The Water God has arrived!”

Before Duke Mu’s words finished, Li Changshou had already appeared a thousand miles away. His figure flickered twice more, then he stood directly above the Sea Eye. How to do it? Li Changshou looked at the iron rod in his hand and uttered a low shout: “If you possess spirit, manifest your sentience!” The iron rod trembled gently, breaking free from Li Changshou’s control. It floated vertically before him, suddenly thickening and lengthening, becoming half a meter in diameter. ‘Immortal power.’ Blurred words formed in his mind. Li Changshou didn’t hesitate, placing a palm on the iron rod, and immortal power surged into it. The iron rod suddenly expanded, pushing Li Changshou flying. Li Changshou summoned the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda, which hovered above his head. He immediately jumped onto the top of the iron rod and pressed down with his feet. Closing his eyes, immortal power continuously poured from his body into the iron rod! Grow, grow, grow… Expand, expand, expand! In but a blink, the iron rod grew to a thousand zhang tall, directly piercing into the surging spring below! Still not enough. Li Changshou’s sleeves billowed, and with a rustling sound, paper effigies flew out, instantly transforming into various human forms. They quickly hovered above the iron rod, pouring their stored immortal power into it. The iron rod’s expansion rate increased several times!

A moment later, an iron rod with a diameter of three hundred miles stood tall between heaven and earth. Its top connected to the clouds, its bottom plunged into the deep sea, precisely in the center of the ‘spring’s eye’. Li Changshou gently drew a breath. The iron rod had now reached its physical limit. He stomped his foot forcefully. The iron rod immediately began to sink downwards, but after only three hundred zhang, Li Changshou felt a tremendous force emanating from below. The power erupting from the Sea Eye at this moment far exceeded Li Changshou’s expectations! Taking a deep breath, spiritual light flickered around Li Changshou. The surrounding paper effigies immediately rose, coordinating their efforts to push down with him. The Sea-Calming Divine Needle was pressed down another hundred zhang.

“Water God! I’m here to help you!” Duke Mu let out a soft shout, his figure descending from high in the sky, immortal power surging around him. He pressed both palms onto the iron rod. The iron rod… trembled faintly, almost symbolically. “I’ll help too!” Bian Zhuang put away his Nine-Toothed Rake and directly slammed into the top of the Sea-Calming Divine Needle! “I’m coming!” “Quickly, come and lend the Water God a hand!” Figures plunged down from high in the sky—Heavenly Generals and Heavenly Soldiers—putting away their weapons, circulating their full immortal power, pushing down on the divine needle from above. At that very moment, waves of dragon roars came from the sea. Azure dragons broke out of the water, soared in a half-circle in the air, and rapidly plunged towards the top of the iron rod. Hundreds of azure dragons flew to high altitude, pressing down directly. Hundreds of azure dragons surged around the iron rod, stabilizing its balance and pulling downwards with force. The Sea-Calming Divine Needle rapidly sank. The surging currents erupting from the Sea Eye were actually split apart by the iron rod! Streams of merit power circulated throughout the iron rod. A golden light shot from the East Heavenly Gate, injecting into the iron rod, making the rod instantly glow brilliantly! More and more azure dragons flew out of the sea, rushing towards the iron rod. The East Sea Dragon King, already covered in blood, carried his massive body out of the water, but then, exhausted, he fainted and sank directly back into the deep sea. This glimmer of hope was given by Li Changshou, but the Dragon Clan also had to fight and strive for it!

At that very moment, a flash of sword light gleamed, extending a ten-thousand-zhang sword aura, striking directly towards the iron rod. Li Changshou let out a soft hum. Just as the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda above his head was about to move, a golden light flashed, and a golden bucket, resembling an ‘earthquake detector,’ appeared, forcefully blocking the sword light. Primordial Golden Bucket! A white figure emerged from behind the Primordial Golden Bucket. Her beautiful face was slightly cold, her spiritual eyes like lightning. With a gentle sway of her delicate hand, the golden bucket shot a golden light into the void. Fairy Yunxiao! A muffled groan was heard, the Great Dao trembled in the high sky, and a shadowy figure lowered its head, spewing blood, fleeing in disarray. Yunxiao immediately intended to pursue, but then seemed to recall something, pausing her movement. She put away the Primordial Golden Bucket, and her figure flickered, appearing beside Li Changshou. She gently pressed downwards with her delicate hand. The Sea-Calming Divine Needle, which had been stagnant, now sank a significant length again! However, the closer it got to the Sea Eye, the stronger the force of the surging currents. The lower end of the divine needle was only dozens of zhang from the Sea Eye, yet it couldn’t be pressed down another inch. Some dragons and Heavenly Soldiers, whose strength was insufficient, began to exhaust their immortal power.

The previously gloomy sky suddenly brightened! Li Changshou looked up, only to see twenty-four azure stars in the sky, arranged in a mysterious formation, encircling the Sea-Calming Divine Needle and rapidly descending into the sea. The Taoist, clad in armor with a handsome beard, stood with his hands behind his back, boundless magic power continuously surging around him. His face was solemn, his forehead beaded with sweat. Sea-Calming Divine Pearls! Uncle Zhao!

“Still!” Zhao Gongming suddenly let out a loud shout. The twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls burst forth with light, and the cosmos within a thousand-mile radius seemed to freeze. Even the Sea Eye below fell into a standstill. Li Changshou felt his feet lighten as the Sea-Calming Divine Needle suddenly plunged, embedding itself into the Sea Eye! With a gush of blood, Zhao Gongming spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and immediately sat cross-legged in the high sky.

Blocked… it’s blocked? Li Changshou was bewildered, and the dragons also looked down into the sea, daring neither to exert more force nor to cease their efforts. The light of the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls quickly dimmed, turning back into twenty-four precious pearls that flew back to circle around Zhao Gongming. The Sea-Calming Divine Needle trembled gently. The dragons immediately exerted force, desperately holding it in place. The Sea Eye seemed… to be sealed just like that? But at this moment, the Sea-Calming Divine Needle’s own weight couldn’t suppress the Sea Eye. Were they to remain here, constantly resisting?

Suddenly, Li Changshou noticed something. The merit on the Sea-Calming Divine Needle was being rapidly consumed! One tenth, two tenths, three tenths… The Sea-Calming Divine Needle continuously shrank, and the deep pit of the Sea Eye below simultaneously contracted! In but an instant, the Sea Eye shrank by roughly one-tenth of its area, and the merit power on the Sea-Calming Divine Needle was already exhausted. The East Sea was silent for a moment. A stronger force surged from beneath the Sea-Calming Divine Needle; the divine needle was almost pushed out of the Sea Eye! Merit! To block this Sea Eye, an immense amount of merit was required!

Li Changshou looked at his left hand, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but he quickly made a decision. What if he returned the great merit the Dragon Clan had given him? He could always reclaim double the incense merit from the Dragon Clan later! Thus, he wouldn’t owe the Dragon Clan anything! However, even if he poured in all his merit, he could only seal half of the Sea Eye, and by then, the counter-surging force from the Sea Eye would be even stronger…

“Chang Geng, you’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to me.” A soft sigh entered his ears. Li Changshou suddenly looked up, towards the clouds in the distance. There, Heavenly Marshal Hua Ritain stood proudly. A faint smile graced his handsome face, golden light surged around him, illuminating his robes completely. Li Changshou was truly stunned. “Your Majesty…” Hua Ritain nodded with a light smile, looking down at the seawater below. Suddenly, he leapt, transforming into a beam of golden light that shot directly towards the Sea Eye! Li Changshou cried out: “Your Golden Body of Merit is complete! Why not simply mobilize Heavenly Court merit instead!” All he received in reply was a fading voice transmission: “A moment’s hesitation would mean widespread suffering. I, Hao Tian, as the Heavenly Emperor, am willing to bear this for all living beings.”

A short while later, layers of golden light spread out, dyeing heaven and earth in a golden hue. The Sea-Calming Divine Needle visibly shrank at a rapid rate, and the Sea Eye below contracted simultaneously.

Half an hour later, Li Changshou, Yunxiao, Zhao Gongming, and Duke Dongmu, along with Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, and tens of thousands of azure dragons who had arrived successively, gathered at the seabed. The Sea-Calming Divine Needle had reverted to its original iron rod size, standing quietly in a small ‘spring’s eye’. The spring flowed with clear, gentle water, replenishing the East Sea’s depletion. It was incredibly stable and imbued with merit.

An elderly dragon-headed figure tremblingly asked, “Lord Water God, that figure…”

“He was a general highly esteemed by His Majesty, the Jade Emperor,” Li Changshou said calmly, standing with his hands behind his back. “His name was Hua Ritain, and he was a Heavenly Marshal.”

Ao Guang, who had just been helped back, was covered in blood, yet at that moment, he said nothing. He slowly knelt before the spring’s eye and deeply kowtowed. All the surrounding azure dragons transformed into human form, one by one settling on the seabed, kneeling and kowtowing before the spring’s eye, the Sea-Calming Divine Needle, and the now vanished ‘Heavenly Marshal’.

Zhao Gongming walked up from behind, nudged Li Changshou with his shoulder, and transmitted with a chuckle: “This junior martial uncle truly impressed me.”

Li Changshou nodded. It wasn’t appropriate to smile at this moment, so he merely said: “The Heavenly Court is actually quite good.”

Fairy Yunxiao blinked, deep in thought.