Chapter 416: The Light of the Righteous Path

“What the Heavenly Courts fear is the formidable strength the demon race still retains. Your Highness, you absolutely must not ally with that Western Spirit Mountain.”

In the empty main hall, on the high platform throne, Daoist Lu Ya, appearing as an old Daoist, rested his hand on his forehead. The warning from Bai Ze that day echoed in his mind, making him inexplicably irritable.

Beside the high platform, more than a dozen old demons sat silently. Most of them currently felt a mix of shock and excitement, having just listened to the eloquent speech of the ragged old Daoist below the platform.

“...Your Highness, you only need to deploy a small force to pressure the Northern Continent's Witch tribe, which will surely throw the Heavenly Courts into disarray. The Heavenly Courts currently wish to incorporate the Underworld and will certainly not ignore the Witch tribe in the Northern Continent. When the time comes, if our main army arrives from the rear to encircle the battlefield, we can surely inflict a painful blow on the Heavenly Courts. This humble Daoist also knows that Your Highness does not wish to engage in full-scale war with the Heavenly Courts, but rather awaits an opportunity to make the Heavenly Courts realize the difficulty and negotiate peace with you. My purpose in coming today is not to declare full war between Your Highness and the Heavenly Courts.

The Heavenly Courts are supported by the Heavenly Dao and are destined for prosperity. Previously, some incompetent individuals in the West foolishly attempted to suppress the Heavenly Courts' rise, which was a grave error and earned the Heavenly Courts' considerable displeasure towards the West. This was never the intention of my two teachers. It is well known throughout the Great Wilderness that our West is barren and lacks spiritual fortune. This humble Daoist also desires for our West to gain some divine positions within the Heavenly Courts, simply to enhance the fortune of our Spirit Mountain. That is all I seek, nothing more.”

The ragged old Daoist paused his speech, looking up at Daoist Lu Ya on the throne. A faint smile graced his thin face, giving him an air of approachability and kindness.

“This humble Daoist understands that Your Highness may have reservations and be unwilling to join forces with our Spirit Mountain.”

As he spoke, the old Daoist took a bundle from his sleeve and propelled it towards the high platform with immortal power. As the bundle flew forward, it unwrapped itself, revealing a square seal shining with golden light. A vast heavenly might emanated from within the hall.

It was the Demon Emperor's Imperial Seal!

Lu Ya and the dozen or so old demons suddenly stood up. The old demons struggled to suppress the urge to reach out, allowing the great seal to land in Daoist Lu Ya's outstretched right hand.

The ragged old Daoist smiled: “The items that Junior Brother Ksitigarbha promised the demon race last time, this humble Daoist has brought them for you all this time. Junior Brother Ksitigarbha was outmaneuvered by the Water God, leading to heavy casualties for the demon race, and has since been admonished by our teacher. That Heavenly Courts' Water God is truly difficult to deal with... Your Highness, you don't actually believe the Water God would spare your life just because you initiate peace talks, do you? Do not forget the Battle of Yaosheng Mountain; his methods were utterly ruthless. He is entirely different from you and me. He is human, and a human born after the Ancient Era, harboring inherent hatred for the demon race. You all may consider carefully. This humble Daoist will not force you to join forces with me. I simply believe that: In this world, though humans are the protagonists, a small space for survival should also be left for us beings from the ancient and primordial past. Do you all agree?”

As the ragged old Daoist's voice fell silent, the main hall descended into quiet.

Near the hall entrance, Daoist Wen Jing leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed. Beside her, a silver-haired girl held a precious sword, head bowed and silent. Wen Jing had a slight smile on her lips, but in her heart, she couldn't help but murmur...

*I wonder if the aura I deliberately left behind was detected by Lord Water God. Given Lord Water God's temperament, he should be monitoring this place constantly. Tsk, another disciple of a Great Saint has emerged from seclusion and begun to interfere in the conflict between Western Buddhism and Daoism. Over the past two years, rumors have circulated within Western Buddhism that a great calamity is about to befall Daoism, though I don't know if they are true. Truly, Lord Water God is like iron, while the disciples of Western Saints are like flowing water. Perhaps in a few days, this old Daoist will also be removed, and Lord Water God will calmly tell Spirit Mountain: "Next."*

The smile on Daoist Wen Jing's lips grew increasingly enchanting.

“Aunt Wen,” the girl transmitted, “which creature do we need to slay this time?”

Wen Jing's smile stiffened. How many times had she told her to call her Queen!

“Just call me Elder Sister, don't keep saying 'aunt',” Daoist Wen Jing transmitted back. “It's too early to fight, don't rush. The outside world isn't as simple as the Sea of Blood; here, it's all about strategy and manipulation.”

“Oh,” the Rakshasa girl replied, her silver-white hair flowing like water, tucking itself into her cloak as she pulled on her hood. “Then I'll rest now, Aunt Wen.”

A vein throbbed on Wen Jing's forehead, but she said nothing more. She continued to lean against the stone pillar with her arms crossed, her alluring figure faintly visible, listening to the old Daoist continue to deceive the foolish demon race.

Why call them foolish? The old Daoist had spoken so much by now, yet these so-called demon experts didn't suspect his identity at all... At last, the Demon Prince still retained some sense. Just before both sides were about to re-establish their alliance and formally join forces, he spoke up and asked:

“Senior, may I ask your name?”

The ragged old Daoist smiled faintly and calmly replied, “My teacher is the Western Saint, and my name is Xuputi.”

What is an auspicious beast? Foreseeing disaster in the north of the Northern Continent half a year in advance, even before the 'instigator of disaster' conceived the idea, purely by discerning the workings of the Heavenly Dao, foreseeing the calamity's arrival... This was indeed a form of intuition, but one with discernible traces. Li Changshou genuinely envied Bai Ze's divine ability; he simply couldn't emulate it. How could there be such a vast difference between living beings?

When Bai Ze used this divine ability for himself, it allowed him to evade disasters in time, to escape promptly when he sensed something was amiss. Now, by assisting Li Changshou, the Water God, it proved remarkably effective.

The Heavenly Courts had prepared their response half a year in advance. The Northern Continent's Witch tribe, even before the demon race made any moves, had received Li Changshou's warning and completed their initial deployments according to his defensive plans. Next, they merely awaited the demon race to deliver themselves into their hands.

On the third day after Wen Jing, the unfamiliar Spirit Mountain expert, and the silver-haired girl appeared in the demon territory, hundreds of demon kings gathered on an insignificant peak. Daoist Lu Ya did not appear, but a dozen or so ancient demon luminaries all showed up, stirring excitement among the demon race and sweeping away the previous decline caused by the Heavenly Courts' psychological warfare. However, after these demon luminaries denounced the Heavenly Courts' lack of principle and justice for a few moments, they abruptly shifted their topic to the ancient war between the Witch and Demon races.

Deer Lord, who was quite prestigious among the demon race, stepped forward, bowed three times to heaven and earth, and loudly proclaimed: “The Witch tribe is brutal and preys upon our good nature! Today, the Witch tribe is still gathering strength in the Northern Continent, intending to wipe us out and hunt the Great Wilderness once more! To protect the purity of heaven and earth, and for the heroic souls who tragically perished at the hands of the Witch tribe in ancient times, today our demon race begins a northern expedition to quell the Witch remnants! Let the light of righteousness once again shine upon the lands of the Great Wilderness!”

Most of the elder generation of the demon race understood that they intended to use the Witch tribe to force the Heavenly Courts to act. The younger generation of demons, who had less understanding of the world's grand affairs, were now filled with fervent passion, shouting loudly in unison.

At once, demonic energy billowed across the Northern Continent's border, obscuring the sky and sun. Above the Nine Heavens, it condensed into a colossal phantom of a Three-Legged Golden Crow, its presence suddenly rising.

Underground, Li Changshou's paper avatar observed from multiple perspectives, shaking his head silently. Western Buddhism was truly ruthless. To destroy something, first make it mad—this was directly sending the demon race to their doom. The Western Buddhist Saint's disciple, whose back he had only seen, was likely a formidable character who had not previously shown himself. These few words claiming righteousness, given the previous behavior of this group of demons, they absolutely could not have uttered them. Their confidence and vision were insufficient. It was highly probable that these words originated from that Western Buddhist Saint's disciple. But upon closer thought, what did these words signify? The demon race intended to 'act on behalf of heaven' and seize moral high ground from the Heavenly Courts. With these few declarations, Li Changshou could fully awaken the Jade Emperor and prompt the Heavenly Courts to declare full-scale war on the demon race. Of course, for the Heavenly Courts, such an action would be a Pyrrhic victory, severely depleting their strength.

"Let's proceed cautiously." Li Changshou sighed, continuing to monitor the demon race's movements and check the Heavenly Courts' various deployments. His strategy had to remain as clear as ever. He intended to strike later. This time, he didn't aim to annihilate the entire demon army, but rather to eliminate a portion of the demon race's elites, thereby altering the balance of power between the Heavenly Courts and the demon race.

Two days later, the demon race mobilized its army. One-third of the total demon population left their gathering place in the Northern Continent. An army composed of a hundred demon kings, thousands of demon experts, and hundreds of thousands of demon soldiers marched from the Northern Continent's border, heading towards the West Sea. —The strength of the demon soldiers varied greatly; most were barely at the Immortal Origin realm. If they directly crossed the densest areas of the Northern Continent's miasma, more than half would perish.

As for the Northern Continent's Witch tribe, they had previously suffered significant losses to their ancient strength due to some ancient Grand Witches' meddling, supporting Chi You in his contest with Xuanyuan Huangdi for the Human Emperor's throne, which resulted in a backlash from human destiny. At this moment, facing this demon army alone, they could only resist for a short while and were no match. Furthermore, according to Li Changshou's observations, as the demon army advanced towards the West Sea, tens of thousands of true demon elites had already entered the Northern Continent's miasma, slowly approaching the Witch tribe's gathering place under the leadership of hundreds of genuine demon experts. Factoring in the demon mighty figures who could arrive before the battle, as well as wielders of artifacts like Lu Ya's Immortal Slaying Flying Knife... With ambushes on all sides and encirclement from all directions, the character for 'danger' above the Witch tribe's heads was now glaringly red.

Li Changshou discreetly deployed his forces. His paper avatars had already returned to the Underworld and the North Sea Dragon Palace. The Dragon race already harbored "an old grudge" against the West, and this time, they brought considerable resentment. Experts from the East Sea Dragon Palace had almost all deployed to protect the North Sea's sea eye and provide expert support to the Heavenly Courts. Currently, within the Four Seas, due to Western Buddhism ceasing its support for a few unruly forces among the sea tribes, the sea tribe rebellions had gradually subsided, and the sea tribes had once again become a force not to be underestimated in the Dragon race's hands. However, the sea tribes' overall strength was relatively weak; shrimp soldiers and crab generals would have their strength greatly diminished after leaving the seawater. And the Dragon race's 'Immortal Flood Dragon Soldiers,' now known as 'Black Dragon Soldiers,' were also needed to guard the remaining three sea eyes. Therefore, Li Changshou only mobilized the Dragon race experts for direct combat this time. Of course, for added safety, he had secretly arranged for a million-strong mixed army of sea creatures, shrimp soldiers, and crab generals to quietly arrive beneath the North Sea's solid ice just a few days prior.

If, in the upcoming battle, the Heavenly Soldiers were routed and the Witch tribe suffered heavy casualties, he would use his Water God divine authority to unleash a massive tsunami, allowing the million-strong sea tribe army to overwhelm the demon race. However, this action would cause immense harm to the Northern Continent's living beings, disrupt its ecosystem, damage the biodiversity of the Great Wilderness, and inevitably injure the Witch tribe by mistake, while posing little threat to the demon experts. Unless absolutely necessary, Li Changshou would not truly wield the Water God's divine artifact.

Based on the demon army's current marching speed, they would reach the Northern Continent's Witch tribe gathering place in approximately two days. Including the time for the demon race to organize their forces, in about three more days, a bloody battle would erupt in the northern part of North Dalu Continent.

While monitoring all locations, Li Changshou also carefully pondered whether there were any oversights or shortcomings in his arrangements. And at this moment, Bai Ze played a crucial role once again!

The man and the beast spent half a day together studying. Li Changshou directly used immortal power to create a sand table, using flags of various colors as pieces to represent different factions, and meticulously deduced the subsequent battles with Bai Ze. This was the Great Wilderness's first battle simulation! Bai Ze had a profound understanding of the demon race. With him acting as the 'commander' for the demon side, their movements in the simulation were remarkably close to real demon behavior. They played out the scenario, considering the influence of Western Buddhism, engaging in offense and defense across the northern lands of North Dalu Continent. After more than a dozen repeated simulations, Bai Ze always ended up defeated. However, each time, the losses for the Heavenly Courts, the Underworld, the Witch tribe, and the Dragon Palace varied. In the most tragic scenario, six or seven out of ten of the Witch tribe would perish, and three tenths of the hundreds of thousands of Heavenly Courts' prepared army would suffer casualties...

The two spirits then deliberated for another half a day, refining Li Changshou's main and backup plans, which brought Li Changshou a greater sense of security.

Li Changshou chuckled, “It is truly the Heavenly Courts' good fortune to have Mr. Bai's assistance.”

Bai Ze, however, said, “If the Water God had been born in ancient times and served the Human Emperor, I truly wonder how magnificent the ancient wars between the Witches, Demons, and Humans would have been.”

“When war begins, living beings suffer immensely,” Li Changshou stated seriously. “This matter cannot be described as 'magnificent'.”

“Indeed,” Bai Ze bowed, “this humble Daoist's wording was improper. Water God, this humble Daoist has another plan that could shatter the morale of the demon race and reduce the Heavenly Courts' losses.”

Li Changshou frowned slightly, already knowing what plan Bai Ze was referring to. He asked, “Mr. Bai, do you truly disapprove so strongly of the current demon race?”

A hint of melancholy entered Bai Ze's eyes as he softly replied, “This humble Daoist retreated during the peak of the Demon Court, so I shouldn't speak of these things. But all my friends and the beings I admired within the demon race ultimately fell with the Demon Court. This humble Daoist truly despises these vile individuals who clung to life at the end of the Ancient Era, only to now invoke the Demon Court's name and seek benefits for themselves. It was precisely after contact with them that Lu Ya, a youth whose hatred had already faded, gradually became like this... Alas, let's not dwell on it. Water God, this battle can be considered this humble Daoist's first contribution to the Human Dao. I cannot simply accept the Saint's protection for nothing.”

Li Changshou smiled, “Allow me to consider it.”

“Very well.”

Bai Ze sighed softly. The two figures bowed to each other, and Li Changshou returned to Little Qiong Peak.

The paper avatar sat in the alchemy room, while his main body stretched a bit in the underground secret chamber. He then went before the image of the Grand Pure Saint, lit three tall incense sticks, performed a grand bow, and quietly awaited the Saint's Dao charm. A moment later... No response? Li Changshou blinked. Just as he was about to speak, he felt faint ripples in the cosmos beside him. Two wisps of spiritual thought entered his Dao heart, transforming into familiar and distinctive voices:

“Hahaha! Little apprentice! Your Tower Lord is here to protect you again! Going to take down Ran Deng?”

“How have you been lately?”

The Grand Heaven-and-Earth Exquisite Pagoda! The mighty, authentic Cosmic Ruler!

Li Changshou's Dao heart trembled. The spirit treasures sent by the Saint Lord had already given him a clear answer! If only the Pagoda had been sent, it would mean he should primarily rely on schemes, protect himself, and not personally engage in killing enemies. But with the Cosmic Ruler also arriving, it meant he was to represent the Heavenly Courts and personally enter the fray, thereby alleviating the awkward situation of the Heavenly Courts' lack of top experts to some extent. It seemed that this time, the definition of a 'Heavenly Courts Civil Official' would need to be redefined again.

Li Changshou grasped the Cosmic Ruler, absorbed the Exquisite Pagoda directly into his body, bowed deeply to the Saint's image, and turned to step out of the secret chamber. Since he had received the Saint's permission, the several hidden cards he hadn't revealed during his battle simulations with Bai Ze could now be used once the official war began.

Two days later.

In the Underworld, at the formidable eastern pass of Fengdu City, Ox-Head held a jade talisman in his hand, his gaze filled with determination, and waved forward. Behind him, over a thousand burly figures, brimming with blood energy, stepped forward simultaneously. Before long, they were sprinting across the lands of the Netherworld, raising a cloud of dust.

In the Heavenly Courts, at the Heavenly River Naval Forces' encampment. One hundred thousand Heavenly River Naval Soldiers and three hundred thousand elite Heavenly Courts soldiers were now fully assembled and ready for deployment. Duke Dongmu stood silently at the front of the formation, awaiting his jade talisman to light up. Ao Yi and Bian Zhuang stood behind Duke Dongmu, along with dozens of Heavenly Courts generals, silently waiting for the order to march.

At the North Sea Dragon Palace, beneath the ice pillars, clusters of shrimp soldiers and crab generals shivered in the icy, dark seawater, awaiting military orders that might not reach them. Within these waters, ancient dragons slowly glided, their scale-covered eyelids concealing draconic eyes filled with cold hatred...

Outside the heavens, before the sole entrance of the Sage Mother's Palace. A cloud boat slowly floated out, carrying several chatting and laughing immortalesses, gently drifting towards the Five Continents.