Chapter 359: Changshou Calculates the Demon, Le'er Assists

Since the "Duojian Yinbao" only has an eighty percent success rate, why not change tactics and add some extra scheming to ensure we seize the "Wuhun" sword while inflicting greater damage on the demon clan?

Even if half of the major demons with karmic burdens escape from this place, the overall gains might still be larger.

Of course, all this scheming ultimately boils down to accumulating merit...

But if we can confidently balance personal needs with our own interests, why not, Li Changsheng?

And so, Li Changsheng and the Jade Emperor's two incarnations quietly retreated to an inconspicuous corner of the underground array.

Li Changsheng spent half an hour thinking and another half hour devising a complete scheme, finishing the entire plan in just an hour. He presented a fully fleshed-out strategy and engaged in a thorough discussion with His Majesty the Jade Emperor.

Although the final modifications to the overall plan were less than 0.1 percent...

It was still important to give His Majesty the Jade Emperor, who had been eagerly watching from the side, a necessary sense of involvement!

Due to the limited time and it being an impromptu idea, Li Changsheng didn't have time to prepare many backup plans.

Thus, he based the main approach on the current plan and added a few contingency options for the links where variables might arise.

Even if unexpected changes occurred, he would steer the plot back to this predetermined main line!

The overall strategy for scheming against the demon clan was actually quite simple: a straightforward "surround the point to strike aid".

More precisely, it involved pretending to surround this location to prevent the major demons with karmic burdens and that sword from leaving, while alerting other demon clans aware of the situation to come for reinforcements. Then, we would seize the Wuhun sword and, with minimal losses on our side, trigger a massive spiritual explosion!

—Any demon clan members who knew about the Wuhun sword's refinement couldn't claim to be "innocent".

This sounded simple, but executing it was incredibly complicated.

How could we stabilize the demon groups and make them conclude they should "guard this place" rather than "flee with the sword"?

And how could we ensure the demon clan wouldn't suspect anything in the first half of the plan, luring their reinforcements into a hundred-li radius?

The biggest challenge was how to make Heaven's Court appear justified, convincing to all, and awe-inspiring, while keeping Li Changsheng himself free from karma...

This required a combination of covert plots and overt strategies.

To be safe, Li Changsheng still shared his only concern with the Jade Emperor...

"Your Majesty, if this operation severely wounds the demon clan's vitality, there's a slight chance it might draw a sage to intervene. That could turn our efforts into trouble, even if not a complete loss."

"Changsheng, rest assured," the Jade Emperor's incarnation said seriously. "With this arrangement, the demon clan's crime of defying the heavenly mandate can be firmly established.

Regardless of anything else, just that evil sword here is enough to convict the demon clan!

If the sage behind the demon clan insists on shielding them, I will have no choice but to go to Zixiao Palace and explain the cause and effect, asking the Dao Ancestor to uphold justice!"

Li Changsheng laughed. "Your Majesty, that's bold."

"For the heavenly mandate."

Since the one to take the blame was already set...

Since the Jade Emperor was prepared to face the Nüwa Saint, Li Changsheng had fewer reservations and immediately began the preliminary preparations.

The preparation work was divided into three main parts.

First, mobilize enough paper effigies to this location and equip them with sufficient immortal beans.

Second, have Heaven's Court ready three hundred thousand troops, with the Jade Emperor acting from behind the scenes, ready to borrow the power of the Heavenly Dao to build momentum.

Third, we need to find a demon king who isn't very bright but has decent strength and some influence...

This third point was particularly crucial.

Li Changsheng and the Jade Emperor each hid one incarnation in the underground array, quietly lurking and waiting to strike.

After settling these two incarnations, the ordinary Heavenly Emperor and the ordinary minister each got busy.

In the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the Jade Emperor summoned Dongmu Gong and ordered him to assemble the troops immediately, gathering three hundred thousand Heaven's Court soldiers at the Middle Heaven Gate, West Heaven Gate, and South Heaven Gate within three days.

No need to specify the commands—just announce it's for training drills.

On the outskirts of the underground array, Li Changsheng's paper effigies moved carefully, occupying several key positions...

In the current world, places to earn major merit were few and far between.

Dealing with demons had long been in Li Changsheng's calculations.

He had originally planned to wait until after Heaven's Court's recruitment of a million soldiers, then use the demon clan for training exercises. His paper effigies would mix in to claim merit from the karmic-burdened major demons.

But with this Wuhun matter as the trigger, and the simple spiritual explosion plan being hard to fully achieve, Li Changsheng decided to orchestrate a major event. He would heavily harvest merit from the demon clan's karmic-burdened major demons to speed up the completion of his merit golden body!

Although the time he had to prepare was short, he could still plan as thoroughly as possible...

Directly above the underground array, in a certain mountain forest, one of Li Changsheng's paper effigies looked at the little demon knocked unconscious in front of him and revealed a faint smile.

He had only intended to ask for some intelligence, but now...

First, he sealed the little demon's demon soul, then removed the demon's cloak, imbued it with the demon's aura, and draped it over himself.

Li Changsheng transformed, using the shape-shifting technique to take on the little demon's appearance. He then extracted the demon soul and wrapped it in Samadhi True Flame.

Soon, the demon soul awakened and trembled inside the flame barrier.

Li Changsheng said coldly, "Answer my questions one by one. If you give evasive answers, your soul will scatter.

If you cooperate fully, and seeing as your karmic burdens aren't deep, I might let your soul reincarnate."

The little demon's soul nearly burst into tears.

Li Changsheng deliberately waited a moment for the demon soul to calm down before asking,

"What is this place? And how many demon kings are there?"

"This... this place is called Yaosheng Mountain. There are six great... great kings..."

Li Changsheng nodded and asked again, "Is there anything unusual here?"

The little demon's soul trembled and shouted, "Nothing unusual!

My lord... I'm just a minor demon who's cultivated for a few thousand years. I have no real skills—I just patrol the mountain to watch for human qi refiners approaching."

Li Changsheng nodded slowly, and the Samadhi True Flame gently contracted, making the demon soul squeal.

"Mercy! My lord, mercy! I've seen a few seniors emerge from underground and go to Nanzhou to eat people!

I reported it to my great king, but he told me to keep quiet, or he'd wipe out my entire family!"

"Hmph!"

Li Changsheng retracted the true flame and gazed at the weakened demon soul. "What rumors are there about Yaosheng Mountain?"

"Rumors... rumors... there are rumors!"

The little demon's soul shuddered and, under the threat of soul dissipation, spilled everything.

"I heard from some older generals that this is a key place for the demon clan's resurgence. The several great kings here are selected talents with promising futures..."

"Tell me in detail about the six demon kings here. Start with your great king."

"Yes, yes... My great king is wise and valiant, said to have an indestructible golden body!"

"Hmm?"

"No, no, no! The old demon on this mountain is a sleazy-looking rhinoceros spirit—tough-skinned and greedy for pleasure. He has three caves and six wives, all forcibly taken, and he brags every day about his charm making these female demons throw themselves at him!"

"Continue, and be as detailed as possible."

And so, half an hour later...

Dong! Dong!

A 'little demon' in light armor and a cloak staggered out of the mountain forest, with a wisp of ashes drifting behind him into the earth.

He walked with a sway—head swaying, waist swaying, wooden clapper in hand swaying—as he struck it a few times and sang out in a dramatic tone,

"Great king, so wise and mighty, sending me to patrol the mountain!

All is peaceful, humans dare not intrude!"

This drew the attention of the little demons and demon beasts in the mountains.

—There was no choice; this was the local patrol slogan for little demons, and Li Changsheng couldn't alter it.

This patrolling little demon was, of course, Li Changsheng's paper effigy using the shape-shifting technique.

The original patrolling little demon's body had been burned, and its soul was sealed in a treasure bead. Li Changsheng would later honor his promise and let it reincarnate.

Keeping the bead with him allowed him to ask for more information if needed, avoiding any slip-ups later...

In this way, Li Changsheng knocked his clapper and wandered leisurely through the mountains for half a circle before heading back, transforming into a demon wind and flying to the midpoint of the third peak of Yaosheng Mountain.

There was a valley there, and deep in the valley was a cave with winding tunnels and passages, housing thousands of demons.

This was the Rhinoceros Great King's demon cave!

Without any issues, Li Changsheng's disguised patrolling little demon slipped into the cave, frantically gathering intelligence and even successfully sighting the demon king here. He assessed the rhinoceros's strength firsthand...

Peak Tianxian realm, but a shoddy one with mottled demon power.

Clearly, this rhinoceros demon was just a gatekeeper, responsible for guarding the underground array.

Its low strength didn't matter—what was key was its status as a demon king and the special location of Yaosheng Mountain.

To be thorough, Li Changsheng checked the demon cave several times, confirming no hidden experts were lying in wait, before launching the official plan.

The first act of 'Plotting Against Demons': The Fairy Descends!

"Ao Yi, do you want some merit?"

Ao Yi, who was quietly suspending eight Wu clan members in the high sky, heard his teaching brother’s voice transmission and was stunned for a moment.

He then heard Li Changsheng laugh and say,

"This matter needs some help. The risk is low, and the merit gains should be substantial. It's easier for me to use paper effigies, but it might expose flaws."

Ao Yi nodded immediately, his dragon eyes full of determination.

Soon, Ao Yi followed Li Changsheng's instructions, flew to Zhongshenzhou to settle the eight Wu clan members, left a paper effigy for communication, and then hurried to the agreed meeting place. In a dense forest, he met Li Changsheng's paper effigy disguised as a young daoist.

And...

A barrier, along with a dressing table...

"Brother, what do you need me to do?"

Li Changsheng said seriously, "Come on, first transform into Miss Ke Le'er. This is quite complex—I'll explain step by step."

"Uh..."

Ao Yi blinked, glanced at his teaching brother’s serious expression, and had no choice but to step forward quickly.

Whatever his brother said, he would do—even if it cost his dragon soul.

Li Changsheng explained, "For this, illusions and shape-shifting are easy to see through. Directly applying makeup is the most reliable."

"Brother, is this about dealing with Bian Zhuang?"

As Ao Yi asked, he sat obediently in front of the mirror, recalling the little techniques his wife used for makeup, and began working on himself.

"Why deal with Bian Zhuang?"

Li Changsheng laughed. "It's like this: I need you to perform a scene later. Pretend to be injured and rescued by a demon king, then have him declare war on Heaven's Court."

Ao Yi's hand trembled, smudging his eyebrow.

"This... can it work? It sounds like the demon king would have to lose his mind."

"It's all about human effort," Li Changsheng said with a calm smile. "Romantic feelings are the easiest to cloud a creature's judgment. Let's give it a try—if it doesn't work, we have backup plans."

"Understood!"

Ao Yi nodded lightly and skillfully continued applying his eyebrow and blush.

Li Changsheng watched from the side, slightly surprised. "How are you so proficient?"

"This..." Ao Yi smiled awkwardly. "I often help Si'er with this..."

"You and Si'er are quite affectionate," Li Changsheng said, smoothly changing the topic with a laugh. "When are you planning to have children? As your elder brother, my gifts are ready anytime."

Ao Yi whispered, "That's still far off... The dragon clan is facing hardships right now. We need to focus on getting through them together."

"Having a child could bring some joy," Li Changsheng said, pulling a few daoist robes from his sleeve and thinking about modifying them into a small immortal skirt.

Ao Yi glanced over and muttered softly, "Si'er has a wardrobe with her; don't worry, brother—I'll change into it later."

Li Changsheng paused and silently stepped back a couple of paces.

This little dragon had some unique hobbies.

Anyway, back to business.

After Ao Yi finished his makeup, the long-absent Ke Le'er reappeared—dressed in an immortal skirt, wearing cloud boots, with long hair tied in a elegant bun, and throat hidden...

Most crucially, Li Changsheng handed over two sachets: one for Ke Le'er to wear at her waist, and one as a backup.

A fifth-grade elixir, Heartfire Burn.

With these arrangements in place, Ke Le'er quietly flew into the high sky. Li Changsheng's paper effigy transformed into a silver-armored heavenly general and released sixteen authentic paper figures as sixteen heavenly soldiers.

Under the cover of night, Li Changsheng summoned several divine thunderbolts from his palm!

Thunder boomed, lightning flashed across the sky, and a graceful figure stumbled through the clouds, with over a dozen figures chasing behind.

By sheer coincidence, the figure fell onto Yaosheng Mountain, and the ten-plus heavenly soldiers and general pursued rapidly!

Along with a loud shout to alert the local demons:

"Heaven's Court is capturing a criminal immortal— all creatures, stay clear!"

Demons within hundreds of li were all stirred, their demon senses probing with varying degrees of surprise.

At that moment, from the Rhinoceros Great King's cave, a certain 'patrolling little demon' shouted loudly,

"Report—

Great king! Heavenly soldiers and generals are chasing a female immortal up the mountain! They're battling in the back mountains, just dozens of li from us!"

"Got it, what's the rush?"

A rough voice replied as a burly man soaking in a pool stood up.

His transformed appearance wasn't ugly—just his nose turned into a rhinoceros horn, which looked a bit off.

This rhinoceros spirit leaped out of the pool, summoned his battle armor, shouldered his iron axe, and used the popular demon wind technique to sweep up over a dozen demon generals and a hundred little demons toward the back mountains.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived dozens of li away. The rhinoceros demon saw the 'battle' site.

A female immortal, her skirt stained with blood, wounds on her waist and shoulder, wielded two short swords in a fierce fight with the heavenly general...

But just one glance at the female immortal, and the rhinoceros great king's bovine eyes grew dazed.

In his eyes, this immortal showed no sign of distress—her graceful form was enveloped in soft light, radiantly captivating, making his heart... pound.

Just then, the rhinoceros great king heard some heavy breathing. Turning his head, he saw his demon generals and soldiers, all flushed and panting.

"What are you looking at!"

The rhinoceros great king roared, "Turn around, all of you! I'll chop you down!"

The group of demon soldiers and generals shuddered and quickly turned away.

The rhinoceros great king looked back at the immortal and the general's fight, his bovine eyes filling with tenderness. With a clang, his axe dropped to the ground, and he clasped his hands together, gently rubbing them against his face.

"Ah, I think I've fallen in love at first sight..."

Gradually, even his eyes turned into the shape of peach blossoms.

From the battle site came the heavenly general's scolding: "Don't make me kill you! Come back to Heaven's Court with me!"

"Big brother!"

Ke Le'er called out firmly, "My marriage is my own choice! I won't become a tool for you to curry favor with those powerful gods!"

Big brother? Marriage? Currying favor with gods!

The rhinoceros great king's eyes lit up, instantly imagining a whole drama.

The heavenly general scolded again, "I'm only doing this for your own good!"

"If it's for my good, then let me go free and find my own marriage!"

As soon as Ke Le'er finished, the heavenly general's spear swept her, sending her lithe form flying to the ground. She struggled up stubbornly.

The rhinoceros great king instinctively stepped forward, reaching out from afar to catch her, but he was still too far away...

"Your marriage?"

The heavenly general said coldly, gesturing to his soldiers, who halted their advance.

He continued, "That is your marriage."

"No!"

Ke Le'er leaned on her sword and stood unsteadily, declaring loudly, "My intended is tall and sturdy, with a powerful build that can protect me!"

The rhinoceros great king glanced down at himself, and his well-developed chest muscles began to pulse rhythmically.

"My intended can ride clouds and drive fog, wear armor, wield weapons, and wear a red cloak, standing tall between heaven and earth!"

The rhinoceros great king silently pulled out a red cloak and draped it on, summoning his axe back into his hand.

"My intended will appear before me, whether he be demon, ghost, human, or immortal..."

"Outrageous!"

The heavenly general thundered, "Today, I'll grant your wish! Pretend I never had a sister like you!"

With that, he swung his spear fiercely, showing no mercy!

At that moment, a fierce wind blew from the side, and an iron axe swept in, knocking the spear away!

The heavenly general retreated smoothly, eyes wide, as the sixteen heavenly soldiers rushed to protect him.

When the wind cleared, a burly figure stood before the female immortal, axe raised high, chest puffed out, red cloak fluttering.

He glanced back at the shocked immortal behind him, his rhinoceros horn hidden, and exhaled a puff of white mist. "Immortal, don't be afraid. I've got you..."

"Immortal! I'll save you!"

The rhinoceros great king frowned at the shout and saw the lion great king from the neighboring mountain descending through the demon wind.

This demon was covered in golden fur, with bulging muscles and a faint floral scent...

The lion great king had even hidden his lion head, transforming into a handsome man with golden hair, his red cloak waving as he waved his hand.

"Rhinoceros general, step back. You're no match for this heavenly general."

What 'general' are you talking about!

They were all demon clan upstarts claiming mountains—who did he think he was, acting all high and mighty?

The rhinoceros great king was about to curse when a cold snort came from the side. A wolf demon transformed into a handsome man and leaped out, also wearing... a red cloak...

"Lion marshal, rhinoceros general, step back. Neither of you is a match for this heavenly general!"

Then, two more demon winds arrived...

Ke Le'er had black lines on her forehead and secretly glanced at the 'heavenly general'—Li Changsheng's paper effigy.

A voice transmission entered her mind...

'The time to test your acting skills has come. One is a bluff, five or six is just getting them drunk. My paper effigies will back you up, so go ahead.'

Ke Le'er...

The heavenly general glared angrily at these demons and said coldly, "You demons, are you meddling in this?"

The lion great king laughed. "Big..."

"Big brother-in-law, please!"

The rhinoceros great king stepped forward boldly and shouted, "The immortal is tired today. Why not let her rest for a few days and give you an answer? We're all family here—let's not ruin the harmony!"

"Get lost!"

The heavenly general roared and advanced with his spear.

But these demon kings unleashed their auras, including two at the Golden Immortal realm...

"Fine! You'll regret this!"

Li Changsheng's disguised heavenly general gritted his teeth and cursed, then turned and rode the clouds away with his sixteen heavenly soldiers.

Immediately, the five burly demon kings turned to Ke Le'er and said in unison,

"Immortal!"

They all paused, glaring at each other with growing hostility!

Soon, the five demon kings started fighting, but Ke Le'er's cries of 'brave warriors' stopped them in time.

Following Li Changsheng's reminder, Ke Le'er opened the sachet's seal, deactivated the Heartfire Burn, and stood up with her sword, heading into the forest to heal...

The five demon kings exchanged glances, snorted coldly, and hurried after her.

Li Changsheng...

Well, the first act was smoothly completed.

The second act, the immortal's grievances and the fury for the beauty, needed to play out quickly—delay could bring changes.

While preparing the next scene, Li Changsheng also had to ensure Ao Yi's safety.

It was all just acting— he couldn't let these demon kings take advantage for real!

Besides, the troop mobilization was already underway.

Closing his eyes for a brief rest, Li Changsheng redistributed his mind and spirit, activating paper effigies in various locations.

Mobilize the mountain gate defense paper effigy group;

Mobilize the Anshui City defense paper effigy group;

Mobilize the East Sea cooperative defense dragon clan paper effigy group;

Mobilize the South Sea surveillance paper effigy group;

Mobilize the West Sea eye guard paper effigy group;

Mobilize the North Sea ice plain reserve paper effigy group...

Though sixty percent of his paper effigies were rushing to this remote corner of the wilderness, Li Changsheng still felt it wasn't secure enough. One water god paper effigy proactively headed to Doushuai Palace.

Half an hour later...

At Duxian Gate, Xiaoqiong Peak, outside the pill room.

A small Taiji diagram slowly formed, from which a tiny pagoda emerged.

The pagoda shimmered with wave-like ripples, as if calling out. Ling'e, meditating on the cushion by the door, opened her eyes in a daze and looked over...

A large hand reached out, holding the small pagoda, and Li Changsheng's voice entered her mind.

"Focus on your cultivation. I'm stepping out for a bit."

"Oh," Ling'e replied, her long lashes fluttering as she closed her eyes again, returning to her enlightenment state.

Li Changsheng looked at the small pagoda in his palm and heard the pagoda spirit's fussing in his mind, a slight smile appearing.

Ah...

When had his own true body become just another trump card?

For safety, he'd keep the Xuanhuang Pagoda overhead and act as a rapid response team.

Heaven's Court was still short on high-level fighters...