Chapter 409: Must Admit, There Is an Element of Gambling Here

To the Water God:

I have recently learned of the rise of the human race and the establishment of the Heavenly Court. I heard that virtuous human cultivators have ascended to assist His Majesty the Jade Emperor, excelling in strategy and planning, single-handedly aiding his ascent to power. Furthermore, they recently resolved the crisis of the great benevolent Houtu. My heart is filled with profound admiration.

I attained the Dao in ancient times and once followed two Demon Emperors in establishing the Ancient Heavenly Court. However, due to the Ancient Heavenly Court's numerous unjust acts of persecuting living beings, I became disheartened and gradually withdrew from it. Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao permitted me to avoid being tainted by the karma of the demon race.

About half a year ago, Lu Ya sought me out, asking for a way to save his life.

I had promised the Demon Emperor that I would assist his son in three matters, and this was the third. Also, considering the demon race's disrespect towards the current Heavenly Court, I proposed a plan that would benefit both sides. For the Heavenly Court, if the demon race rebelled, the Heavenly Court would have a legitimate reason to purge the demon remnants. For Lu Ya, as the son of an ancient Demon Emperor, he might use this opportunity to beg His Majesty the Jade Emperor for his life.

I have no intention of opposing the Heavenly Court, nor do I wish to cause trouble for you, fellow Daoist.

I can swear a Great Dao Oath that I will never reveal your origins to anyone, and I can also swear a Great Dao Oath that I will never interfere with any matter of the Heavenly Court. I humbly ask you to be merciful and spare my life.

If you are willing, I wish to befriend you and enjoy pleasant conversations over wine. Life is long; how could one be without a kindred spirit?

If you choose not to pursue this matter, please crush this jade talisman. I will sense it, and it will put my mind at ease.

Respectfully, Bai Ze.

"Hmm..."

Li Changshou pondered, almost instinctively crushing the jade talisman. However, his eyes sparkled as countless thoughts raced through his mind. With a slight smile, he played with the jade talisman in his hand.

This Bai Ze seemed to understand him extremely well... This instantly made Li Changshou consider many layers of meaning.

Ling'e quietly asked, "Senior Brother, is this Bai Ze the auspicious beast mentioned in ancient texts, the one you discussed with Grandmaster earlier?"

"Indeed," Li Changshou nodded with a smile. "I didn't expect Bai Ze's ability to foresee fortune and avoid calamity to be so keen. Grandmaster just went to track him down, and he's already here begging for mercy. No, that's not right. This jade talisman must have been written long ago and merely delivered at this time. For a dignified ancient demon commander to humble himself so much to survive is quite admirable."

Ling'e chuckled softly and said, "It feels like... Senior Brother, you're just too scary."

"Hm?"

"Scary beast, scary beast," Ling'e stuck out her tongue. "Senior Brother, let's quickly inform Grandmaster! Bai Ze has delivered himself right to our doorstep!"

Li Changshou countered, "If the one delivering the message was truly Bai Ze, how would Grandmaster have gone chasing somewhere else?"

A flash of insight struck Ling'e. She suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, "The fact that he could find the Immortal Du Sect... doesn't that mean Bai Ze already knows your origins, Senior Brother? Is Bai Ze secretly threatening us, implying that if we bother him, he'll expose your origins to the public?"

Li Changshou smiled and shook his head, saying, "What Bai Ze is after is ten times more complex than you imagine. This communication jade talisman is truly ingenious... You see, even a master like him, who could escape the Lich War unscathed, is inevitably entangled by the karma of the demon race. I've always taught you to avoid karma. Was I wrong in that?"

"What Senior Brother teaches is naturally never wrong!"

Ling'e lowered her head and thought for a moment, then asked, "Can Elder Bai Ze foresee Grandmaster's actions?"

"No," Li Changshou said. "Grandmaster is concealed by the Taiji Diagram, and he has no intrinsic name, so he cannot be detected by heavenly secrets at all. If Bai Ze already knew Grandmaster was pursuing him, his message would certainly not be phrased like this."

Ling'e felt a bit dizzy and silently sat on the meditation mat beside her Senior Brother, quietly observing his profile as he thought deeply.

The pill room quickly fell silent until Ling'e couldn't help but yawn, covering her mouth. Only then did Li Changshou slowly exhale.

"It seems Grandmaster will be here within the day, bringing a second jade talisman from Bai Ze."

"Why?" Ling'e asked, puzzled.

Li Changshou smiled but didn't speak, then crushed the jade talisman in his hand. "Wait here, and inform me if there's any news. I'll go arrange things for those elders first."

"Oh..." Ling'e replied. Li Changshou closed his eyes, concentrating, and shifted his consciousness to the Southern Continent.

In Anshui City, Li Changshou summoned the village chief of Xiong Village, Xiong Laosan, who was Xiong Lingli's father. He instructed Xiong Laosan to buy two rows of residences in the busiest part of the city to temporarily house the 108 demon soldiers among mortals. Li Changshou repeatedly emphasized to Xiong Laosan that each elder must be provided with three guards and two maids, ensuring they were not in the slightest bit inconvenienced. Xiong Laosan naturally agreed at once; for their Sea God Sect, this was no burden at all.

As Xiong Laosan hurried off to make arrangements, Li Changshou summoned the two demon soldier commanders before him. Although Grandmaster had said that these two commanders were not the strongest among the 108 demon soldiers, Li Changshou sensed that before him stood two mountains emitting faint pressure... Truly worthy of being survivors from the human army that broke through the demon race's Great Heavenly Cycle Star Dou Formation!

"Elders, how should I address you?"

"Tianzi One," the burly man replied in a low voice.

"Yuzi One," the scar-faced woman said softly.

Li Changshou cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Elder Tian Yi, Elder Yu Yi, please settle down here first. This is the mortal realm of the Southern Continent, with few Qi Refiners. The city's temple is a temple of incense offerings established by me. You can freely roam around the city, or go anywhere you wish. The mortals in this city are particularly bold; they won't be afraid even if they see immortals or dragons. Currently, human states abound, without a unified ruler, and Qi Refiners are gathered in the Central Continent, generally living in peace. Getting a taste of mortal life here might help with your recovery, elders."

"Many thanks," Tianzi One replied, cupping his fist.

Yuzi One said, "If Lord Li cannot handle the demon race, please be sure to command us to rush to the battlefield. This is our duty."

"It's alright," Li Changshou said. "This is a war between the demon race and the Heavenly Court. If the demon race directly wages war against humanity, the countless immortal sects in the Central Divine Continent could instantly overwhelm the demon territories. You two need not worry; just rest and recuperate in the mortal world. My avatar is in that grand temple; if anything comes up, you can have them notify me."

The two demon soldier commanders said no more, bowing in assent.

Li Changshou said, "I have important matters to attend to today, so I won't stay here long. Both of you, please rest well." With that, Li Changshou bid farewell, leaving the Wuren Tribe's divine envoys in charge of all subsequent arrangements.

As his consciousness withdrew, Li Changshou observed a scene at a street corner: Two female demon soldiers stood blankly in front of a stall selling women's hair accessories, simply standing there silently. The female vendor wanted to strike up a conversation but dared not, her expression truly indescribable...

With these 108 demon soldiers in Anshui City, Li Changshou could worry a little less about the place, which was a small bonus. Later, he would still need to find some meticulous divine envoys and temple caretakers specifically to look after the daily lives of these 108 ancient humans. For some reason, Li Changshou suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, as if he had opened a retirement home in the Primordial World.

Shifting his consciousness back to Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou immediately began analyzing the extent of Bai Ze's threat to him.

Ling'e was nearby... At first glance, it seemed she was meditating, but a closer look revealed she was taking a short nap, pretending to be asleep.

This girl... Li Changshou's eyes were filled with concern. He placed a note by Ling'e's hand, on which "300 times" was written. Then, he propped his chin, lost in thought before the pill furnace.

A creature like Bai Ze, whose wisdom had become refined, must have meticulously arranged everything while sending this jade talisman. How much information could a single communication jade talisman convey? Would the other party use his true form to deliver the message and hide near the Immortal Du Sect? Li Changshou immediately dismissed this possibility. After all, someone as resourceful as Bai Ze wouldn't place himself within a dangerous range.

Naturally, to be safe, Li Changshou immediately deployed his paper effigies outside the sect's mountain gate, meticulously searching various areas, but found nothing. Both he and Bai Ze would try to anticipate each other's predictions, leading to an accumulation of predictions and a constantly looping deadlock. The strategist of the ancient demon race was indeed extraordinary. When vying with such a master from afar, one must maintain sufficient doubt about one's immediate judgments; perhaps his current thoughts were precisely the deductions the other party had subtly hinted at and guided him towards...

Li Changshou took out a scroll and began drawing and writing, as if chains were flying out from Little Qiong Peak, spreading towards various parts of the Primordial World. And between heaven and earth, there seemed to be countless illusions, within which lay the sole truth.

And so, a few hours later...

"Eh?" Ling'e opened her eyes, thinking she was still dreaming. She pinched the back of her hand, only to realize that what she saw was not false at all. The pill room had, at some unknown point, sunk into the mountain. Now, countless unfurled scrolls floated around, covered with tiny script and maps. Ling'e scrutinized them for a while, feeling dizzy. It seemed Senior Brother was analyzing Bai Ze's hiding place.

Li Changshou, meanwhile, stood before a simplified topographic map of the Five Continents of the Primordial World, hands clasped behind his back, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Awake?"

"Oh," Ling'e immediately jumped up. She saw the note in her hand, opened it, and let out a soft sigh.

Li Changshou marveled, "This Bai Ze is truly a master."

"Senior Brother, is Bai Ze really that formidable? He just gave us a jade talisman; what can you deduce from that?"

"No, as long as all information is integrated and analyzed, then deconstructed and re-analyzed from different angles, many conclusions can be drawn. The information he provided was just right."

Ling'e tried her best to follow her Senior Brother's train of thought, wondering, "But if he didn't know we were discussing how to deal with him in the river valley, wouldn't him sending this letter be deliberately exposing himself?"

"Precisely, he deliberately exposed himself."

"Why?"

"Because of apprehension, and because of his past history of serving the demon race. The demon race and I are absolute opposites. How could His Majesty the Jade Emperor or I tolerate such a powerful demon being alive, especially since he'll eventually be entangled by the demon race's karma? He should also know that, to be safe, I might preemptively ask Grandmaster to directly eliminate him. Therefore, Bai Ze wanted to act first, sending this jade talisman to show deference and goodwill, to see if he could turn an enemy into a friend, becoming a confidant, thereby avoiding his own misfortune."

"Why isn't it a threat to us then?"

"Because it wouldn't constitute a threat," Li Changshou said. "If he exposed our origins, we would simply acknowledge it generously and move right next to the Tushita Palace. In that case, my apprehension towards him would turn into hatred, which would, in turn, cut off his path to survival."

Ling'e raised a hand to her forehead. "So, Senior Brother, what should we do now?"

"Wait for Grandmaster... Just as I mentioned Grandmaster, he's already here."

Li Changshou took out a jade talisman, causing the pill room to slowly rise from within the mountain. He smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the jade talisman Grandmaster brought back must contain a letter from Bai Ze to me. This letter would either be passive, stating that he would voluntarily leave the Primordial World and drift in the chaos; or proactive, proposing a wager: if we could find him, he would serve the Human Sect or the Heavenly Court, but if we couldn't, we should let him go. Or it might be a bit more adventurous, pretending to confront us step by step to see if he could feign death and escape. And this letter must have been written half a year ago."

Ling'e pursed her lips, feeling as if she had copied the 'Steady Character Sutra' for nothing.

"Senior Brother, why doesn't he just hide secretly?"

"It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he can't. In the art of divination in the Primordial World, the top five, excluding the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor, are: first, our Human Sect's Sage Lord; second, the innate supreme treasure, the Taiji Diagram; third, the other five Sages; fourth, the Grandmaster who wields the Taiji Diagram; and fifth, Emperor Fuxi, who holds the Bagua Plate. Bai Ze's ability lies in perceiving danger. Unless he completely leaves the Heavenly Dao's coverage over the Primordial World, he can only act this way. After all, he is the well-known ancient demon commander. Karma is not something he can shake off simply by wanting to. I deduce that he is either not skilled in combat and dares not easily leave the protection of the Heavenly Dao, or he is reluctant to part with this prosperous world and doesn't want to live in perpetual loneliness outside of heaven and earth. Most likely the former."

Clang, clang-clang! With several resounding thuds, the pill room reappeared on the mountain surface, and the surrounding formations vanished. Grandmaster clicked his tongue in wonder, observing the pill room from a distance.

Li Changshou bowed to Grandmaster and said with a smile, "Senior Brother, did you bring back a letter left by Bai Ze?"

"You really guessed it," Grandmaster said, looking slightly awkward but regaining his composure. "I chased him for half a day, roaming through various Great Thousand Worlds. I found sixteen places where he had appeared and saw many pleas for mercy he had left behind. This auspicious beast's hiding skills are truly remarkable; even the Taiji Diagram was repeatedly fooled by him. However, if I continued to pursue him, even if it took ten or eight years, I would eventually catch him. At the most recent location, he left a jade talisman, asking me to bring it back for you to examine, saying that everything would be decided then."

Li Changshou asked, "Grandmaster, did you perhaps look at it on the way?"

"Hahahaha, just out of curiosity, just out of curiosity," Grandmaster waved his hand. "I opened the jade talisman just a moment ago, and it destroyed itself. The content of the talisman was quite interesting. He said he had placed four decoys and one true body within the Five Continents. If we could find his true body within half an hour, he would submit to any punishment, even sacrificing his life for the Human Sect. If we couldn't find him, he asked us to let him go this time, and he would hide in the Chaotic Sea for three thousand years. He said the only clue he could give you was that his hiding place is the safest place."

Ling'e, from behind, couldn't help but palm her forehead, murmuring, "Senior Brother... why don't you just live with this auspicious beast then?"

Li Changshou said seriously, "So, there's still a quarter of an hour left?"

Grandmaster gave a thumbs-up. "Believe in yourself, Changshou, you can do it!"

"I..." Li Changshou slowly exhaled and smiled: "Senior Brother, Ling'e, let's deduce together where his true body is hidden. Those decoys are not worth considering; they're just a smokescreen. The 'safest place' he mentioned, I've already listed about 126 possibilities..."

"Excellent."

"Senior Brother, should I join in too?"

"Yes, Ling'e, you are exceptionally important right now. Use all your intelligence!"

At once, Grandmaster, Li Changshou, and Ling'e returned to the pill room. Li Changshou sat in the center on a meditation mat, Grandmaster paced with his hands behind his back before the scrolls Li Changshou had just filled, and Ling'e, with a finger on her chin, pondered with all her might, deep in thought.

Before long, Li Changshou wrote down seven place names and said, "Choose one from these."

Ling'e quickly asked, "Senior Brother, why isn't the Heavenly Court among the seven places you wrote down?"

Grandmaster chuckled, "The Heavenly Court has Lord Laozi presiding over it, and it's not far from the Grand Pure Temple."

Ling'e quickly hid behind Li Changshou and whispered, "This disciple spoke too much, Grandmaster, please don't mind."

"These seven places are the seven most probable hiding spots. Let's simultaneously name the place we suspect the most. We must say it at the same time, according to our true inner thoughts. I'll count down from three... Three, two, one... The reincarnation place of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother!"

Grandmaster: "He might be hidden in Anshui City."

Ling'e: "Kunlun Mountain, our Immortal Du Sect Patriarch's cave!"

"Senior Brother, let's go!" Li Changshou immediately stood up. "Listen to Ling'e, let's go to True Person Du'e's residence!"

"Oh? Why listen to her?" Grandmaster was somewhat puzzled, and Ling'e was utterly bewildered, pointing at her own nose, her words jumbled. "Listen, listen, listen to me?"

"No time! Senior Brother, quickly open the map! I'll explain later!"

'Tsk, so this humble Daoist was indeed playing a trick.'

On Kunlun Mountain, in a cave that had become vacant because its owner was out visiting friends; in the side cave filled with various styles of 'clouds'; a middle-aged Daoist with a goatee lay on a white cloud, stroking his beard and chuckling softly.

Half an hour, it was almost up.

If one spoke of understanding the Water God, Bai Ze felt that in the Primordial World, only the Water God himself could surpass Bai Ze. Bai Ze had truly gone all out this time. He spent half a year, following the Water God's habits and methods of deduction, to anticipate every option the Water God could conceive. Then, he did the opposite, using the phrase "the safest place" to set the rules of the game... This round, Bai Ze was guaranteed to win!

If the Water God's choice was on the tenth floor of a tall building, while an ordinarily intelligent person would think on the fifth floor... He should have been contending with the Water God on the tenth or ninth floor, but he deliberately took a step back, returning to the fifth floor. Too high or too low wouldn't work; only here, the place least consistent with the Water God's way of thinking, could be the "safest place"!

"Haha, hahahaha!" Thinking of this, Bai Ze lay on his side and burst into laughter, his goatee gleaming, his expression utterly content. He genuinely couldn't wait to see the Water God, who always played with avatars, find his decoy and what expression he would make!

Half an hour was up!

"Senior Brother, is this the ancient demon commander?"

A hundred bird-like female voices eerily chimed in from behind him. Bai Ze's hair stood on end, and his primordial spirit felt as if it had frozen. Then he heard a male voice softly sigh.

"It seems we guessed right. Senior Brother, please take action... and disperse him."

"Very well."