Chapter 344: Initial Hearing of the Enemy's Name

Breaking News! Grandmaster Xuan Du massacred the Asura Clan, pursuing the Rakshasa Princess all the way to Mount Meru, where, before Sage Zhunti of the Western Sect, he struck her down with a single blow of his ruler, annihilating her spirit!

Primordial World Breaking News: Less than two hours after the incident at the East Sea Dragon Palace, the Sea of Blood erupted in monstrous waves. The Asura Clan, gravely wounded since ancient times, was purged by the Grandmaster of the Human Dao Sect. The reason is unknown, and the scene was chaotic. Reportedly, over ten thousand hidden Asura masters were directly crushed by the Taiji Diagram, and the Asura Clan's chance of resurgence was single-handedly extinguished by the Grandmaster.

Classified Revelation: The Yuan Tu Sword, once belonging to Patriarch Styx of the Sea of Blood, has thus fallen into the hands of the Western Sect!

Li Changshou had just finished writing his memorial and was about to go to the High Heavens Palace to "plead guilty and submit it" when Duke Dongmu sent someone with several exhilarating pieces of news.

"Is the Grandmaster that formidable? Did he single-handedly challenge the Sea of Blood?"

Initially, when Li Changshou heard this news, he was indeed quite shaken. He had thought the Grandmaster, after being stabbed in the East Sea and losing face, would return to the Tushita Palace to sleep... *cough*, or to cultivate. He didn't expect the Grandmaster to go directly to the Netherworld Sea of Blood and pursue the master holding the Yuan Tu Sword all the way to Mount Meru.

"Pursued him to Mount Meru?"

Li Changshou acutely grasped the key point. Based on his understanding of the Grandmaster, could it be that the Grandmaster intentionally let the Rakshasa woman escape to Mount Meru, only to kill her directly in front of the Western Sect's Sage and disciples?

"Highly likely!"

Otherwise, the Grandmaster could have easily suppressed the Sea of Blood with the Taiji Diagram alone. Why did he also summon the Profound Yellow Pagoda and the Cosmic Ruler before the battle? The fact that their own Sage did not intervene could be interpreted as a warning from the Dao Sect to the Western Sect. As for the Yuan Tu Sword falling into the Western Sect's hands because of this... This innate spiritual treasure is a powerful killing weapon; its greatest characteristic is "killing without incurring karma." This treasure was originally under the Western Sect's control, just hidden in the dark. Now that its possession by Mount Meru is widely known, it indirectly limits the treasure's future opportunities to appear.

Li Changshou looked at the memorial in his hand, a hint of calm in his eyes. With such a warning from the Dao Sect, the probability of the Western Sect behaving themselves was much higher than before.

—Of course, this was just a probability; Li Changshou would never jump to conclusions.

Picking up the memorial and his whisk, Li Changshou adjusted his expression to appear somewhat worried and helpless, then rode a cloud towards the High Heavens Palace.

By this time, the immortals and gods in the High Heavens Palace had dispersed. The Jade Emperor sat on his throne, reviewing memorials, seemingly undisturbed.

Li Changshou approached from outside the hall, first sighing at the entrance, then quickening his pace. But just as he reached the high platform, before he could even speak, the white-robed Jade Emperor on the throne let out a faint sigh...

"The accumulation of one and a half cosmic epochs... My dear minister, how severe were the casualties among the Dragon race in the end?"

Li Changshou replied solemnly, "Though their vitality was damaged and their foundations shaken, the losses were the minimum possible under the circumstances, thanks entirely to the sacrifice of Marshal Huaritian. Your Majesty, this minor deity's calculations were insufficient, my strategies lacking, and my arrangements not tight enough this time. I beg Your Majesty to mete out punishment!"

"My dear minister, why do you insist on taking all the blame upon yourself?" The Jade Emperor said gently, "The fault lies with the mischievous evil spirits, with the Heavenly Court's weakness, and with the old ways of the Dragon race. My dear minister, you have done your utmost, but the power the Heavenly Court could provide was far from enough to counter such a formidable enemy. The fault for this matter lies with Us."

"Your Majesty..."

"Enough, my dear minister, what are you arguing about?" The white-robed youth stood up, smiled, walked around the jade table, and descended the steps. He glanced at the hall entrance. Brilliant light erupted from the High Heavens Palace roof, enveloping the entire hall and isolating the guarding Heavenly Soldiers outside.

The Jade Emperor sighed, sat down on the steps of the high platform, and patted the white jade bricks beside him, gesturing to Li Changshou... "Chang Geng, my dear minister, come, sit. Today, let us not speak of the Heavenly Emperor and the Water God, but instead have a good chat about the path of the Heavenly Court."

Li Changshou hesitated for a moment, then ascended the steps and took a seat two steps below the Jade Emperor. Seeing this, the Jade Emperor smiled, then moved down one step himself, chuckling: "Chang Geng, when do you think the Western Sect will prosper greatly? If they do, how should our Heavenly Court respond? Don't put on airs; I just want to hear your honest thoughts."

"Your Majesty, your question puts this minor deity in a very awkward position," Li Changshou frowned. "The Western Sect is currently suppressed by the Dao Sect. The cosmic destiny available in the world is limited. If the Dao Sect prospers, it will naturally not allow the Western Sect to prosper greatly."

The Jade Emperor asked, "Do you believe there will be an inevitable war between the Dao Sect and the Western Sect?"

Li Changshou: "..."

From this current situation and the trajectory of the Primordial World, the next great tribulation should indeed shift from a race war to a conflict between major sects. However, the reality is... Overall, the Dao Sect doesn't really take the Western Sect seriously. The Dao Sect's cosmic destiny is too strong, leading to its zenith and subsequent decline, which will bring about the Investiture of the Gods tribulation. During the internal chaos of the three sects, the Western Sect will seize the opportunity to aggressively poach disciples and acquire mounts, and later, through the Journey to the West tribulation, they will link themselves with humanity, thus truly rising to prominence. This is the script of the Heavenly Dao; he dared not speak carelessly. For now, he could only say: "What Your Majesty said is... largely similar to what this minor deity thinks, with 'minor' differences."

The Jade Emperor immediately showed a satisfied smile, but then sighed again. Indeed, the Jade Emperor was quite vexed today.

"Your Majesty," Li Changshou asked softly, "Are you perhaps pained by the loss of that meritorious golden body?"

"Wouldn't you be if you... *cough*, yes, that's right," the Jade Emperor slowly nodded. "But this meritorious golden body of mine was merely for moving about in the Heavenly Court, serving as a monitor."

Li Changshou retrieved a treasure pouch from his sleeve. "Your Majesty, this minor deity has prepared a small item for you."

"Oh?" The Jade Emperor immediately became interested. He opened the pouch and found a large 'pill' inside, imbued with the power of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang. Behind this 'pill' was a foot-long paper figure...

Li Changshou smiled, "This is the highest quality avatar among those used by this minor deity, specially presented to Your Majesty."

The Jade Emperor pushed the pouch back, then raised a hand and pointed a golden beam forward, smiling, "My dear minister, please see." The golden light transformed into a majestic, robust man who cupped his fists at Li Changshou and said in a gruff voice: "This humble general Zhao Dezhu greets the Water God!"

"So many meritorious golden bodies?" Li Changshou examined it closely, feeling a slight pang of sadness. This was just an ordinary avatar, with early Golden Immortal realm strength, merely coated with a layer of merit outside the avatar itself... But Li Changshou dared not say anything about the Jade Emperor's act of putting on a brave face despite difficulties. He simply rose to return the greeting and seized the opportunity to flatter him twice. It seemed His Majesty the Jade Emperor intended to maintain the Heavenly Court's decorum to the very end.

The Jade Emperor dispelled the avatar and then asked with a smile, "Chang Geng, when can I attend your wedding feast with my junior martial niece Yun Xiao?"

"Your Majesty, Immortal Yun Xiao and I can only be considered confidants..."

"Hmm, when My junior martial sister and I first came to the Heavenly Court, we also started as confidants. Now, many years have passed in a blink, and Longji is almost grown up."

"Your Majesty, this minor deity has a memorial here. Would you like to review it first?"

"Evading the subject is not the style of My Water God of the Heavenly Court!" With a hint of playfulness in his eyes, the Jade Emperor casually took the thick memorial from Li Changshou and read it carefully.

Soon, the Jade Emperor looked at Li Changshou, frowning: "Chang Geng, were you perhaps enraged by the Western Sect because of the Dragon race incident?"

"Why would Your Majesty ask such a question?" Li Changshou was somewhat confused.

Holding the memorial, the Jade Emperor smiled, "Look at what you've written here: a six-step plan to expand the Heavenly Soldiers by one million within a century... A brief analysis of the importance of the Netherworld's reincarnation system to the Heavenly Emperor's authority... Initial plan for incorporating the Netherworld and subsequent reform proposals for its consolidation... Six strategies for incorporating the great Qi Refiners of the Three Thousand Worlds... Chang Geng, are you intending to single-handedly elevate the Heavenly Court's strength to a new level within a few centuries? Furthermore, when you had Duke Mu report on the Dragon race incident earlier, you deliberately ignored the Western Sect, only mentioning the mischievous evil spirits. Originally, We thought you had too many scruples and didn't want to provoke a Sage. To Our surprise, you were holding back, wanting to first sever the Western Sect's arms!"

Li Changshou rose and bowed, stating solemnly: "What this minor deity stated in the memorial is a sincere wish for the Heavenly Court to become strong as soon as possible, so as not to suffer such humiliation again, with absolutely no private revenge intended!"

"Don't be anxious, Chang Geng. We merely found this memorial so well-written that We couldn't resist teasing you a little." The Jade Emperor said gently, "The contents of this memorial were actually broadly mentioned in your 'Twelve Strategies' from back then, and it's also something We have been pondering for years. Today, let us discuss this memorial. Come back and sit down!"

"Ah, yes," Li Changshou obediently returned to his original seat.

The Jade Emperor unfolded the memorial, mused for a few moments, and then began to discuss it with Li Changshou, line by line, sentence by sentence... Li Changshou secretly broke into a sweat. Fortunately, when he wrote the memorial earlier, he didn't deliberately strive for rhyme or 'prettiness,' nor did he include any difficult-to-explain phrases.

Soon, the High Heavens Palace, enveloped by the array, fell mostly quiet, with only the murmuring voices of two figures continuously conversing, discussing, and occasionally laughing...

The next morning, Little Qiong Peak.

Li Changshou emerged from his alchemy lab, stretching in the morning sun, a hint of weariness in his expression. Having an all-night conversation with His Majesty the Jade Emperor and refining the Heavenly Court's first five-hundred-year plan on the spot had truly drained Li Changshou's mental energy. "Being a powerful minister in the Heavenly Court is certainly not easy..."

His immortal sense swept over the card room, effortlessly discerning the scene within. This sight before him was eerily familiar... In the second-floor room, wine pots lay askew, candied fruits were scattered. Ling'e was dozing, leaning against the bed. Youqin Xuanya, drunk and unconscious, lay on the bed with Jiu Jiu. Jiu Jiu's small hand was clutching Youqin Xuanya's jade foot, and she was still making smacking sounds with her mouth, her passive ability perfectly activated...

"Look! Just look! These three immortal maidens, hailed as potential Golden Immortals of the Immortal Du Sect, are either unrestrained, ice-cold, or dignified and graceful in public. Yet, in private, they drink and play all day, neglect their cultivation, get drunk for amusement, and are disheveled!"

"Now look at the quiet room on the first floor, where the newly promoted female Qi Refiner, Martial Uncle Jiu Yushi, strives hard in her daily cultivation! Her attitude is extremely upright; she rarely goes out and dedicates herself entirely to cultivation, single-mindedly seeking the Grand Dao!"

"Uh, Martial Uncle Yushi, why has she encountered a bottleneck so early..."

Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly. "Never mind," he'd pretend he saw nothing.

After soaking up the sun for a while, Li Changshou lay back in his rocking chair, closing his eyes to relax his mind. Li Changshou had already summarized the recent setback in the East Sea. The conclusion was: "Not stable enough." For every future calculation, the first thing to achieve must be self-knowledge and knowledge of the enemy. "If one knows nothing about the true strength of the Western Sect, how can one achieve victory in every battle? Furthermore, the Heavenly Court genuinely has too few trump cards. Expanding the Heavenly Court's arsenal of trump cards is imperative..."

Previously, 'stability' was limited to himself. Now, 'stability' must extend to the forces he belongs to and can influence. Only then can he keep pace with the changes in the Primordial era and always stand in an unassailable position. The Netherworld is the Heavenly Court's next key target for strategy. Li Changshou had a premonition that the Western Sect would soon make moves on the Netherworld as well. This premonition was not unfounded. Firstly, because the Western Sect had already intervened in the Netherworld, even appeasing the Asuras of the Sea of Blood. Secondly, in his previous life, Li Changshou had heard of the concept of 'Buddhist Kingdoms'. To establish Buddhist Kingdoms across the Three Thousand Worlds, influencing the Six Paths of Reincarnation was the most convenient method—gathering believers and having them reincarnate in one specific place. This could also be a long-term plan of the Western Sect, using it to amass incense and merit. Thirdly, the resources available for strategic planning in the world were truly limited. Control over the Dragon race and the Netherworld would lead to great prosperity!

Now, the Dragon race has submitted to the Heavenly Court, and the Heavenly Court has used this Dragon race incident to greatly shorten the period needed to assimilate the Dragon race's power. Over the next few centuries, the Heavenly Court's strength would experience rapid growth. Currently, among the Three Realms, the place where merit could still be gained and destiny seized was the Netherworld. That expert from the Western Sect who orchestrated this East Sea attack likely had already set his sights on the Netherworld's Underworld. At this moment, Li Changshou had no trace of underestimation. He no longer believed that incorporating the Netherworld under Heavenly Court rule would happen automatically. It still required meticulous planning, step by step. Tomorrow, he would send a paper effigy to North Kuru to investigate the situation of the Witch race...

*Buzz*

"Wen Jing?"

Li Changshou's spirit was roused, tinged with a hint of suspicion. His paper effigy appeared in the inner hall of the Sea God Temple, pointing at a beam to have the place protected by the Taiji Diagram. The blood mosquito that had flown in from the front hall transformed into the curvaceous and alluring Daoist Wen Jing, still dressed in her favorite blood-red gauze dress, but with a more conservative inner garment this time. This small detail brought Li Changshou some satisfaction.

Before he could speak, Daoist Wen Jing trembled slightly, covering her mouth and nose with her wide sleeve, muttering softly: "The Grandmaster truly... is unsettling!"

Li Changshou said calmly, "You mean the Grandmaster's attack on Mount Meru?"

"Yes!" Daoist Wen Jing took small, delicate steps forward, cooing, "Water God, when will you let your humble servant see the Grandmaster again?"

"See him for what? So your tears of overwhelming gratitude can flow?"

"The Grandmaster usually cultivates in the Tushita Palace. It's not proper for me to bring you there."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare," Daoist Wen Jing hastily replied, "This humble servant isn't ready yet..."

Li Changshou suppressed his urge to retort and asked, "Who was it that orchestrated the scheme against the Dragon race this time? I suddenly feel as if the Western Sect has a new mastermind behind it, and this person's grasp of the overall situation is quite impressive."

Daoist Wen Jing replied, "It's a Sage's disciple named Ksitigarbha, who recently emerged from seclusion."

"Ksitigarbha? Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? The divine beast Di Ting?" Li Changshou asked, "Does he have... a rather good mount?"

"I wouldn't know about that," Daoist Wen Jing blinked. "But I've heard people say that the few times he appeared, he was riding a mount..."

"I see." Li Changshou smiled calmly, his eyes unconsciously narrowing slightly. "Hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha?" Given this, it seems I will indeed have to contend with the Western Sect in the Netherworld.

But... Considering the current state of Mount Meru, why did these eight words make him perceive a sense of helplessness? Could it be that when the Western Sect changed its name, faced internal turmoil, and underwent a reshuffling of power, this Sage's disciple was 'accidentally' squeezed out of the power center, forced to make a grand vow to protect himself? And linking that to 'Transforming Barbarians into Buddhas'... "How interesting!"

Daoist Wen Jing silently retreated two steps to the side. For some reason, she suddenly felt that Ksitigarbha, who was considered a prominent disciple of the Western Sage, might... be doomed?

Just then, a white cloud rapidly flew in from the west; it was Zhao Gongming arriving on his cloud. Li Changshou glanced at Daoist Wen Jing, who immediately curtsied, her body transforming into a wisp of blood energy that rapidly evaporated into the air.

As soon as the Taiji Diagram's shroud was lifted, Zhao Gongming hastily descended, striding quickly with a look of urgency: "Chang Geng, quick! Help me come up with an idea! Something big has happened this time!"