Chapter 438: Jade Emperor This Damn Mentality Has Collapsed

"What kind of poison is this? How can it be so potent?""I don't know, but Senior Zhao Gongming gave him a pill, so Duke Mu should be fine.""Audacious demons! I'll go fight them!"

In the somewhat crowded Hall of Clear Light, a group of immortals and gods simultaneously turned their heads to look at the speaking heavenly general, who quickly nudged his comrade beside him with his hand, giving him a meaningful look."Try to dissuade me, please."

"Ah! Old Zhu, don't get agitated! We must wait for the Water God to come and take charge!""Has the Water God been summoned?""The Water God doesn't seem to be in his residence; heavenly generals have sought an audience many times but haven't been able to see him!"

In the innermost part of the Hall of Clear Light, an immortal had created a cloud bed, where Duke Mu lay, deathly pale and barely breathing.

The group of immortals and gods exchanged glances, and several third-tier righteous gods stepped forward, promptly stabilizing the morale of the immortals and gods, reinforcing the Five Heavenly Gates with heavy troops, and preventing panic.

A few rumors echoed throughout the Heavenly Court, claiming that Duke Mu had been ambushed and was now gravely wounded with his life hanging by a thread, and that the Water God was missing, also possibly having been attacked by demon experts.

Panic began to spread in the Heavenly Court; many immortals, gods, and heavenly generals spontaneously gathered, preparing their magical treasures, ready to go to war with the Demon Court at any moment.

Overall, although the Heavenly Court didn't have many high-level experts, everyone was united.

However, compared to the Heavenly Court, the demons on the Northern Continent's border were incredibly peaceful.

Lu Ya's Dao body had been shattered, yet they were still unaware of what their Crown Prince had truly experienced; everything was as usual.

This was also because the great battle had erupted deep within the Northern Continent, and the thick, dense miasma clouds of the Northern Continent had buffered the "battle fluctuations."

After the battle, the Saint casually smoothed out the cosmic fluctuations to prevent too many living beings from being affected.

Poisonous insects and beasts are also living beings, and they also have the right to live in the Primordial World.

By the Heavenly River, Bian Zhuang and Ao Yi secretly discussed for a while, then began to act separately.

As the Water God's two most trusted aides, they felt they had to do something at this moment.

Ao Yi first went to the temple in Anshui City, calling out with his divine sense until his head ached, but received no response.

In this situation...Duke Mu of the Heavenly Court was ambushed by demons but was sent back to the Heavenly Court by Senior Zhao Gongming of the Jie Sect, while his own Sect Master brother was still missing;Ao Yi promptly took out a jade talisman, his Adam's apple trembling.

"Really, am I going to use this?"

Once upon a time, his Sect Master brother had patted his shoulder and earnestly advised him:

"If anything unusual occurs in the Heavenly Court, the Human Daoist Sect, or the Immortal Du Sect, and you can't reach me via divine sense, open this jade talisman.It will teach you how to adapt to circumstances."

This was the legendary Sea God Sect's "Doomsday Survival Kit"!

Ao Yi's face was solemn. After ensuring there were no threats or prying eyes around, he activated the talisman's enchantment and extended his immortal sense into it.

"This is!"

"Come quickly, mind no trifles; the Dao is firm, striving forward is hard."

The Stability... Sutra...

After reading the Stability Sutra, there were a few more vertical lines of text at the end, clearly stating:

"Are you sober now?""Consider if the current situation absolutely requires you to find me.""You may now begin to adapt to circumstances."

Ao Yi: ...

He truly wanted to maintain his numb expression, smash the jade talisman to the ground, and fiercely curse at it: "What a damn doomsday kit!"

"Ahem, calm down, calm down."

His Sect Master brother might be in trouble, and the most likely place to find him...

...was naturally the Immortal Du Sect.

Ao Yi silently recited the sutra three more times to calm his mind, then took a few gifts, concealed his tracks, took a long detour, and hurried to the Immortal Du Sect.

As soon as he arrived at the Immortal Du Sect's mountain gate, Ao Yi noticed something unusual.

Here, there seemed to be a wisp of extremely profound Dao charm, quite similar to the Dao charm found in the Tushita Palace.

But this Dao charm was very faint; had Ao Yi not possessed the Dragon's keen sense of smell, his sharp intuition, and the long-term influence of his Sect Master brother, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

Ao Yi, now transformed into a young boy, rode a cloud forward, explained his purpose to the elder gatekeepers, and handed over a jade talisman, stating it was for the Immortal Du Sect Master's personal attention. He then waited outside the mountain gate for a while.

Not long after, an elder arrived and led Ao Yi into the Immortal Du Sect, to the Immortal Du Hall.

Sect Master Kong Xu, Ji Wuyou, wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, came out to the hall entrance, and bowed to Ao Yi with a smile, saying, "May I ask if you are a heavenly..."

"Sect Master Wuyou," Ao Yi interrupted Ji Wuyou, bowing with a smile.

Ji Wuyou immediately understood that Ao Yi could not reveal his identity. He turned, made a welcoming gesture, and led Ao Yi into a side hall.

"General Ao Yi, do you have something urgent?"

"Sect Master Wuyou, is there anything unusual about Little Qiong Peak?" Ao Yi's brows furrowed. "The Heavenly Court is currently in some trouble, but I can't reach my sect master, Brother Changshou."

"Oh?" Ji Wuyou frowned in thought, then said, "Come with me, and use stealth. We'll go to Little Qiong Peak and see."

Ao Yi: Must a sect master be so cautious within his own sect?

Of course, he couldn't say that aloud. Although Sect Master Kong Xu was merely an ordinary Golden Immortal, and his Dao foundation was damaged from forcefully cultivating the 'Two Qis in the Orifice' divine ability, he was still the Sect Master of the Human Daoist Sect's lineage;

So furtive, so secretive...

Not to mention, there was even a thrilling sensation of about to glimpse his Sect Master brother's daily life.

Unfortunately, as they approached the invisible and intangible grand formation around Little Qiong Peak, and just as they thought of entering, their spiritual senses began to throb wildly.

Ji Wuyou frowned; as a dignified Golden Immortal, he actually had the thought, "Entering here by mistake will result in immediate severe injury."

This...

"Sect Master Wuyou, let's just go in openly."

Ao Yi suggested, not without disappointment.

Ji Wuyou coughed, revealed himself, and called out to Little Qiong Peak, "Is anyone on the peak?"

A small amount of immortal sense probed from within the gate, naturally only detecting Ji Wuyou.

Suddenly, a beam of sword light erupted from Little Qiong Peak!

This sword light was about ten *zhang* long, generally azure blue, and contained a sharp sword intent, almost on the verge of erupting before Ji Wuyou.

Ji Wuyou hurriedly retreated, almost fleeing with all his might, barely escaping a few dozen *zhang*, just managing to avoid the sword light, only having a lock of his long hair severed...

Ji Wuyou was fine, but he was wondering what he had done wrong to displease the young Daoist Xuandu.

The Immortal Du Sect, however, was in an uproar; figures soared from various peaks, rushing to protect their Sect Master.

On Little Qiong Peak, Ling'e quickly ran out of the thatched hut, the jade talisman in her hand shaking twice. Streaks of ripples instantly appeared before Sect Master Ji Wuyou and Ao Yi, indicating that the grand formation's entrance had opened.

Ling'e touched her forehead; if she hadn't noticed the "operational error" in time and shifted the Five Elements Grand Formation slightly, her Sect Master might have been gone!

"Excellent! *cough*!"

Ji Wuyou coughed, his voice carrying to all directions, "This array formation, jointly designed by this humble Daoist and Changshou, is indeed powerful.Alright, no more testing, so as not to disturb the cultivation of fellow disciples.You all can go back, it's nothing, nothing."

Ao Yi, hiding in the shadows with a stealth spell, couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Being the Sect Master for his Sect Master brother... was it really this difficult?

Ji Wuyou smiled calmly, helped Ao Yi conceal his form, and together they flew into Little Qiong Peak. The grand formation on Little Qiong Peak closed once more.

The few fairy maidens in the card room also came to the door and window, peering out. Seeing this, expressions of understanding appeared on their faces.

"Hmm?" Jiang Lin'er raised an eyebrow, her gaze suddenly sharpening. "Xiao Jiu, are you changing cards?"

"No!"

Jiu Jiu, who was currently performing a telekinetic spell, giggled. Jiang Lin'er exclaimed, "Oh, you are!", and directly pounced on her, leading to a good deal of playful roughhousing under the somewhat helpless and envious gazes of Jiu Yushi and Xiong Lingli.

Let's continue. When Ji Wuyou and Ao Yi arrived on Little Qiong Peak, Ao Yi revealed himself, bowed respectfully to Ling'e, and announced, "Sister-in-law Ling'e."

Ling'e was a little embarrassed but calmly nodded. She stepped forward to apologize profusely to the Sect Master, and Ji Wuyou repeatedly waved his hand, saying it was fine.

Ao Yi dared not delay further and cut straight to the point, asking:

"Is Sect Master brother on the mountain?"

Ling'e's brows furrowed slightly. She looked at Ao Yi, then at Ji Wuyou, with a hint of hesitation.

Ji Wuyou smiled, "This humble Daoist has other important matters; I shall wait aside for now..."

"My senior brother shouldn't be on the mountain," Ling'e stated. Seeing Ao Yi frown, she immediately added, "But he should be safe at the moment."

Ao Yi quickly asked, "Where has Sect Master brother gone?"

"Just now, Mr. Bai, or rather, Senior Bai Ze, visited my peak," Ling'e said. "Senior Bai Ze told me that my senior brother ventured into an ancient ruin and is currently trapped within a grand formation, comprehending a divine ability.Only after he finishes comprehending this ability can he escape the formation."

Ji Wuyou laughed, "Changshou truly has good fortune."

Ao Yi, however, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is there any proof?"

"Yes, and it's very convincing," Ling'e said, taking out a small four-cornered flag from her sleeve. A wisp of Dao charm emanated from it, causing Ao Yi and Ji Wuyou to instinctively step back several paces, holding their breath.

Ji Wuyou was an old hand in the Primordial World.

He recognized the precious banner and its Dao charm at a glance, exclaiming, "The Xuandu Flame Light Banner!"

Ao Yi also looked enlightened and slightly relieved.

Ling'e said, "Senior Bai Ze told me that my senior brother asked him to bring this banner back and have me protect Little Qiong Peak's safety.If there's any danger, Senior Bai Ze will arrive in time... Oh, and Senior Bai Ze has gone to the Heavenly Court."

Ao Yi smiled, "That's good, that's good. I'll head back to the Heavenly Court right away!"

From the side, Ji Wuyou pondered for a few moments, looked at the Flame Light Banner, then at Ling'e, sensing the early Heavenly Immortal realm Dao charm she emanated, and quietly asked:

"Ling'e, are you interested in the position of Sect Master?"

Ling'e: ...

"Sect Master, no, it's not that serious."

By the time Ao Yi rushed back to the Heavenly Court, Bai Ze had already left.

Nowadays, few in the world were unaware that Bai Ze was the Heavenly Court's Water God Li Chang Geng's mount. After all, this was a devastating blow to the demon race but a gratifying tale for the human race, so it spread very quickly.

When Bai Ze arrived at the Heavenly Court, he released his formidable aura, his long feathers fanned out as he took out the Water God's jade talisman. The heavenly soldiers and generals did not obstruct him; instead, they escorted Bai Ze to the Hall of Clear Light.

At that time, Bai Ze maintained his true form and strolled through the Heavenly Court, taking "elegant" steps with a "refined" posture, drawing glances from many female immortals and admiration from male immortals.

Upon reaching the Hall of Clear Light, Bai Ze didn't say much.

Although he was assigned tasks in a peculiar way by the Saint Master, through "Dao Heart Condensing Words," making him busy everywhere, Bai Ze was quite excited. This proved that the Saint Master had acknowledged him, this Saint's disciple...

... 's mount!

But thinking of Lu Ya's death, Bai Ze was somewhat depressed.

The Heavenly Court could not be without a leader for even a day. At this moment, Li Changshou had been taken back to Three Immortals Island by Fairy Yunxiao to recuperate. Even with the Primordial Golden Dou, he probably wouldn't awaken for ten or eight years;

Although Duke Mu wasn't particularly useful for major tasks, he could at least maintain the Heavenly Court's normal operation.

After arriving at the Hall of Clear Light, the long feathers on Bai Ze's head shimmered gently, and a pill flew into Duke Dongmu's mouth.

In just a moment, Duke Mu was no longer green, his injuries receded, and he could immediately get out of bed.

Bai Ze, in the form of an auspicious beast, spoke in human tongue:

"The Water God is fine, everyone need not worry, but he cannot return to the Heavenly Court at this time.I ask Duke Mu to preside over the Heavenly Court's overall situation. Do not easily wage war against the demon race; the Heavenly Court merely needs to defend itself."

Duke Dongmu's eyes flickered. Hearing Bai Ze's telepathic message, he immediately responded, performed a Daoist bow forward, and sighed:

"Many thanks to the Water God for saving me!"

"Duke Mu, you've worked hard," Bai Ze said, and then, leaving behind trails of watery blue ripples, continued his "refined stride" and departed the Heavenly Court.

After Bai Ze left, the immortals busily asked Duke Dongmu what had happened.

Duke Mu, following Bai Ze's telepathic instructions, only said that he had been jointly ambushed by demon experts, and fortunately, the Water God intervened to save him.

As for the Water God's whereabouts, it was naturally similar to the explanation Bai Ze gave Ling'e.

This news quickly spread throughout the Heavenly Court; the heavenly soldiers and generals breathed a sigh of relief, and Duke Mu also wore an expression of helplessness.

When he was thrown flying by Lu Ya, he was disoriented and dazed, but he clearly saw!

He saw...

He saw the Water God, to save him, battle against over a dozen great demons, finally falling from the sky!

He, Duke Mu, owed the Water God two lives!

The Water God hadn't discovered a secret cultivation spot; he was afraid of chaos in the Heavenly Court, gravely wounded and dying, and had gone into hiding to heal.

How detestable, his cultivation as Duke Dongmu was insufficient!

How detestable, His Majesty the Jade Emperor was not currently in the Heavenly Court!

But Duke Dongmu could only keep this hatred in his heart, turning instead to immerse himself in the significant affairs of the Heavenly Court, stabilizing the overall situation.

This hatred, like a ball of fire, continuously burned in Duke Mu's heart...

Finally, twelve years later.

The Heavenly Court and the demons of the Northern Continent maintained peace, but Duke Dongmu could no longer bear it. During a starlit gathering, he knelt before the sealed Lingxiao Palace and bowed deeply.

Outside Quezhou City in the Southern Jambu Continent, in a leisurely manor.

Hua Youming, who had "released his horses to the southern mountains," returned to farming, and spent seven peaceful years with his beloved wife, was currently feeling melancholic about not having children and facing the "seven-year itch," contemplating whether to take a concubine. He was startled awake at night by a clap of thunder!

He suddenly sat up, his eyes filled with confusion. As all his memories returned to his mind, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"In this life, I fought for several years, married, and retired, a complete... success..."

"Why is it that in these mortal memories, the most frequently appearing faces are so familiar!?"

A few whispers came from beside the Jade Emperor. His face gradually changed from a smile to a grim expression, then he silently raised a hand and covered his forehead.

Just then, two golden lights flew from high in the sky, shining upon the tribulating bodies of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. The two instantly transformed into two points of light, disappearing in a flash, leaving only a thin blanket gently sliding off.

In the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor opened his eyes from his throne, unable to help but raise a hand, speechless.

"My... "

"My mentality has collapsed!"

"How did Chang Geng arrange this? How could he just!"

"No, that's not right. My junior sister must have discovered something, forced Chang Geng, and then pursued him."

"Hmph, this time I must punish Chang Geng for his greatest incompetence; I'll send him to the Moon Palace to train Chang'e for a hundred years!"

The Jade Emperor chuckled softly, savoring his mortal experiences as his own Dao charm slowly emanated. However, he also saw Duke Dongmu kneeling outside the hall, so he opened the Lingxiao Palace and allowed Duke Mu to enter.

Once Duke Dongmu was inside the hall, the Jade Emperor smiled:

"Why only Duke Mu? Where is my beloved minister Chang Geng?"

Duke Mu's eyes reddened. He walked to the center of the hall and knelt, instantly shedding tears of old age, wailing:

"Your Majesty! Your old servant risked his life to awaken Your Majesty because the demon race was utterly audacious and attempted to assassinate this old servant!Scoundrels! To save this old servant's life, the Water God was surrounded and attacked by over a dozen ancient great demons, gravely wounded and on the verge of death! Now, this old servant doesn't even know the Water God's whereabouts!There has been no news for twelve years... This old servant truly worries about the Water God, which is why I awoke Your Majesty!"

The Lingxiao Palace was silent for a moment. The white-robed Heavenly Emperor sitting on his throne gradually grew grim.

The jade desk was directly kicked away, and the Jade Emperor stood up.

"Twelve years!Why did you wait twelve years to call me awake?! Why wait another twelve years?!Go, mobilize the heavenly soldiers of all departments! Immediately raise an army! If anything happens to Chang Geng, I swear I will slaughter all ancient demons!"

*Rumble*—

Outside the Lingxiao Palace, the weather changed drastically; lightning dragons flashed, causing the Nine Heavens to continuously tremble.