Chapter 449: Long Life Cloaks Secret Moves, Immortal Yunhua Yearns for the Mortal World

In the High Heavens Pavilion, just as Li Changshou assumed his post in the Moon Palace.

"Chang Geng put up a bronze mirror there, so people can see what they're doing at any time?"

"Not only that, but the God of Water also got angry at Chang'e's maid because Chang'e hadn't appeared. The maid was so scared she almost cried."

"Hahahaha! This Chang Geng!"

The Jade Emperor was overjoyed, clapping his hands and laughing heartily. "He truly... *cough*, he always comes up with something new! To be able to think of such an idea, excellent, truly excellent."

Mu Gong, standing below the high platform, smiled and said, "It's clear that the God of Water is quite bothered by this matter. Your Majesty, how should we respond?"

The Jade Emperor pondered for a moment, then wondered, "Why should we respond?"

Mu Gong blinked, then whispered, "Your Majesty, wasn't the intention to weaken the Jie School's influence on the God of Water by sending him to the Moon Palace...?"

The White-Clad Jade Emperor was visibly stunned for a moment, but then slowly nodded and sighed:

"My worries indeed cannot be hidden from Mu Gong."

Dong Mu Gong breathed a sigh of relief. This time, he had finally understood the Jade Emperor's true intentions.

The Jade Emperor stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then quickly said:

"The Great Tribulation is imminent. In a hundred years, the Three Sects will discuss the matter of Investiture of the Gods. It is indeed not advisable for Beloved Minister Chang Geng to have too much contact with the Jie School, lest he interfere too much in the tribulation and suffer its backlash. So, Mu Gong, how do you think we should counter Chang Geng's move?"

Dong Mu Gong thought for a moment, then quickly shook his head. "This old servant is slow-witted; I cannot think of any brilliant scheme."

The Jade Emperor pondered a few more times, sitting there in deep thought. Soon after, he shook his head with a smile.

"It doesn't matter. Let Chang Geng decide for himself. He can do whatever he finds comfortable there. After all, it's only for ten years, more or less."

Mu Gong seemed about to speak but hesitated. He then bowed his head and assented, not daring to say more.

The Jade Emperor's tone changed, his expression becoming solemn: "How is the investigation into Fu Yuan's origins progressing?"

Dong Mu Gong's expression also grew exceptionally serious, and he began to report in detail the results of his investigation. The High Heavens Pavilion was enveloped in golden light, blocking all external scrutiny.

Leaving aside the Jade Emperor and Mu Gong's covert investigation into traitors within the Heavenly Court;

Li Changshou, in the Moon Palace, began a leisurely teaching career with tranquil ease.

The Moon Palace, originally a gathering place of heavenly beauty, found him somewhat oblivious to its charm. There, he began... "bronze mirror live streams" alongside him, enjoying three small barbecue meals a day.

The beautiful Chang'e goddesses were initially reserved, but after half a day, under the arrangement of several female immortal officials, they began to perform dances in turns, showing their skills to the Chief Instructor.

Within the grand hall, music lingered, and graceful figures moved.

Li Changshou calmly enjoyed the beautiful scenery, eating the exquisite fruits and delicacies continuously supplied by Ao Yi.

Although he was merely a paper effigy, with somewhat blurred senses, Li Changshou still felt quite comfortable.

At such moments, Ao Yi, the Second Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, displayed his extraordinary discernment to great effect!

In the Heavenly Court, those who could face such beauty without being captivated were few, but Ao Yi was certainly one of them.

For no other reason than he had seen it all before.

The songs and dances of the Heavenly Court were all within the realm of "elegance." If one spoke of truly knowing how to enjoy oneself, it was the ancient noble Dragon Race.

However, after a few days, Bian Zhuang became a bit restless.

Logically, Bian Zhuang's upbringing was even more luxurious than Ao Yi's. As the young master of Tianya Pavilion, a leading temporary 'love tribulation' establishment outside the Five Continents of the Primordial World, Bian Zhuang had seen such scenes since childhood.

Yet, for Bian Zhuang, the Heavenly Court fairies seemed to possess an inexplicable allure.

The first time Bian Zhuang came to the Moon Palace, he was reporting on the Heavenly River Navy's lack of armaments, and Li Changshou tolerated it for the time being.

But less than half a day later, Bian Zhuang came again, reporting that Heavenly Soldiers in the Heavenly River Navy were fighting...

An hour later, Bian Zhuang reported that someone in the Heavenly River Navy had suffered heatstroke from over-training...

Li Changshou immediately sealed Bian Zhuang's immortal power, called Ao Yi, had Bian Zhuang tied up, and sent him to soak in the Heavenly River until he sobered up.

This second senior brother was truly utterly shameless.

Ever since he unleashed his true nature, he had been far too dissolute; he was bound to stumble because of this in the future!

Thinking of Bian Zhuang, Li Changshou recalled the Journey to the West and Jin Chanzi, whom he had sent back for 'reforging'.

Currently, he had to focus all his energy on dealing with the Great Investiture Tribulation; there was no need to rush the Journey to the West.

Judging from the outcomes of the two tribulations, the Journey to the West merely allowed the West to prosper; however, Investiture of the Gods would determine who would lead the West when it flourished.

Having come to the Moon Palace, Li Changshou couldn't return empty-handed and had to achieve some teaching results.

He planned to introduce a new performance style—singing and dancing—to the Chang'e goddesses six months before his departure.

It's possible he would also "torment" the little Jade Rabbit, making her learn the tune 'hou, ha, hou, ha, shaliwa, shaliwa'.

To get a bit more involved in the Great Tribulation ahead of time.

*Cough*, back to business.

While Li Changshou was fulfilling his duties, the Investiture of the Gods List was about to be signed. He couldn't truly waste his time in the Moon Palace, frolicking with a group of Chang'e goddesses.

A single avatar naturally couldn't occupy his entire mind.

Li Changshou's live streaming in the Moon Palace was certainly not just to set an example for male immortals, provide some benefits, or even to rectify his own reputation.

During this period, there were several layers of considerations unknown to others.

Li Changshou intended to seize this opportunity to investigate the Western Sect thoroughly!

Knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy ensures victory in every battle.

Li Changshou realized that his understanding of the Western Sect had always been superficial. He only knew that the Western Sect had two Sages, numerous Sage disciples, and commanded a large number of Primordial ferocious beasts and ancient demon races.

Beyond that, he knew very little.

This was because, in ancient times, the Western Sect was established directly outside the Daoist schools. Their Sages achieved sagehood by making grand vows and gaining boundless merit. Since ancient times, the Western Sect had harbored an urgent desire to grow stronger.

Over so many years, how many masters had they converted? And how much power had they developed outside the Five Continents?

It was likely countless.

Although using the phrase "hiding filth and accumulating dirt" to describe a Sage's Great Sect might seem disrespectful, the Western Sect indeed behaved very much in their own unconventional way.

Many of Sage Jieyin's disciples had not yet appeared. The ones he had encountered so far were mainly Ksitigarbha, and Jin Chanzi could barely be considered half a disciple of a Sage.

Ksitigarbha and Di Ting had caused him considerable trouble. Although Di Ting was now suppressed by Bai Ze, they should absolutely not be underestimated.

Furthermore, there was Void Bodhi, who had twice intervened to instigate the demon race, attempting to weaken the Heavenly Court through them and delay its rise. His intentions were unmistakably clear, his strategy very precise, and in both instances, he left no trace, allowing the Western Sect to withdraw completely unharmed.

It must be said that Void Bodhi would also be a rather formidable foe.

From Lu Ya's death until today, the seeming tranquility of the world was due to the approaching Great Tribulation. The Heavenly Court had become its dominant force, and the concept of "Investiture of the Gods" revolved entirely around it. The Western Sect could only restrain its disciples and quietly await the specific unfolding of the tribulation.

Not only the Western Sect, but also the Jie School and the Chan School, dared not make any rash moves at this moment.

But Li Changshou could distinctly feel undercurrents flowing beneath the Heavenly Court, constantly surging throughout the Primordial World.

As for the traitors within the Heavenly Court, Li Changshou was not in a hurry to remove them. They could also serve as chess pieces in his hand, becoming important components of certain contingency plans...

Scheming was not merely about countering moves; one also had to learn to leverage prevailing circumstances.

Taking advantage of this window, Li Changshou leisurely spent his days in the Moon Palace, openly "live streaming" his whereabouts for all parts of the Heavenly Court to see.

Some "pleasant anecdotes" also began circulating in the Primordial World, such as the God of Water being henpecked, or the God of Water being wary of Immortal Yun Xiao.

Truly!

How could matters among immortals be called fear?

It was merely a bit of due respect!

But secretly, Li Changshou's paper effigies departed from the eastern and southern ends of the world, transforming into young women and old crones, gradually disappearing from sight.

Li Changshou dared not speak ill of Sages, but both the Sages and most of the experts in the Primordial World subconsciously regarded the Three Thousand Great Worlds as mere appendages to the Five Continents, holding a somewhat dismissive view of them.

But how could Li Changshou overlook this?

When the Western Sect dealt with the Dragon Race, they had already used "power" from the Three Thousand Worlds several times.

This time, Li Changshou intended to investigate this peripheral power of the Western Sect.

For safety, both of Li Changshou's paper effigies underwent six layers of disguise. If exposed, or if they appeared within a thousand *li* of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, they would self-destruct immediately.

However, had he not investigated, it would have been one thing, but by personally conducting the inquiry, many of Li Changshou's understandings changed.

Upon careful reflection, he realized he had previously been influenced by the "inertial thinking" of Qi Refiners, believing that even if many forces had risen in the Three Thousand Worlds over the past ten thousand years, their influence on the Five Continents remained limited; they were ultimately just "accessories" to the Five Continents.

This was not the case.

Li Changshou had only spent two years investigating outside, but his emphasis on the Three Thousand Worlds had sharply increased.

The most direct reason was the sheer number of humans and human Qi Refiners in the Three Thousand Worlds.

This world never lacked individuals of outstanding aptitude. The Three Thousand Worlds had also produced a large number of masters and had long been divided into various powers, large and small.

Some major powers could occupy an entire Great Thousand World, radiating influence over numerous nearby Great and Small Thousand Worlds, and could truly be called "vast."

The Western Sect possessed numerous major powers of this scale!

In two years, Li Changshou, leveraging his mastery of evasion techniques, tirelessly investigated a hundred Great Thousand Worlds.

Over thirty of these had been "unified," and half of them showed the clear influence of the Western Sect!

As for the other sixty-odd Great Thousand Worlds, the long reach of the Western Sect's power extended into most of them!

This part of the Western Sect's hidden strength had never been utilized.

"It's quite a bit terrifying."

In fact, it wasn't just to counter the Western Sect. For Li Changshou to rewrite the rules of heaven and earth and perfect the Dao of Balance, he also had to fundamentally adjust his attitude towards the Three Thousand Worlds.

The Five Continents were the sacred lands in the hearts of Qi Refiners, and the mortal realm of the Southern Continent was especially a gathering place of human destiny, making it of utmost importance;

But the Three Thousand Worlds held immense potential, far more than just simple "source of soldiers."

Li Changshou had already discovered that the Western Sect was extensively promoting "Incense God Cults" in some Great Thousand Worlds, where large numbers of mortals provided them with incense power. Although not as effective as in the mortal realm of the Southern Continent, accumulated over time, it amounted to considerable merit.

This reminded Li Changshou of a certain existence after the Great Investiture Tribulation—the Buddhist Kingdoms.

The Western Sect's ambition was indeed not as simple as merely repaying the "loan" of heavenly merit. These two Sages seemed unwilling to always be suppressed by the Daoist Sages.

"What more can I do?"

In a shadowy corner, Li Changshou murmured to himself, deep in thought, and directly caused the two dispatched paper effigies to spontaneously combust and dissipate.

Since the Heavenly Court currently couldn't spare the resources for widespread conquest...

Why not secretly establish some forces, leveraging the Heavenly Court's resources and fortune, to allow these forces to develop and grow within the Three Thousand Worlds?

Li Changshou's eyes lit up. He wrote down this idea, and the paper effigy in the secret chamber wrote furiously.

Once his thoughts opened up, Li Changshou's ideas proliferated.

Previously, he had considered a "Heavenly Court shadow organization," but that was merely an idea forced upon him to settle Wen Jing Daoist in the future, and he hadn't given it much importance.

What had changed since then?

Bai Ze.

Bai Ze's strategy and wisdom were sufficient to support a major power!

Supplemented by a few experts, and with his paper effigies always in tow, establishing a foothold in the Three Thousand Worlds would be no difficult task.

And then there was Grandmaster Jiang Lin'er...

This formidable grandmaster, who had traversed the Three Thousand Worlds, could also be of great help when the force was just starting!

He wouldn't need to devote too much thought to this force; Bai Ze's presence could perfectly act as his shadow!

This matter would only require a secret decree from the Jade Emperor. Taking advantage of the current chaotic heavenly secrets, which prevented others from making divinations, and with the covert cooperation of the Dragon Race and the Netherworld, it would absolutely spread like wildfire!

Suppress the West, raise the Heavenly Court, guard the Daoist schools, balance the Heavenly Dao!

Li Changshou picked up his brush and wrote three large characters on the white paper in front of him: Lin Tian Hall!

Li Changshou frowned, closed his eyes, and took a breath. Bits of blue light flickered around him.

He activated the advanced version of his Empty Mind Dao Heart — the Sage's Moment — carefully sensing his own condition.

There was no tribulation interference. This idea, in fact, had been simmering and accumulating in his mind for many years.

So when should he begin this endeavor?

Li Changshou maintained his empty mind state, pondering carefully. He took another piece of paper and wrote down a series of peculiar "codes."

A dog, subtly referring to Howling Celestial Hound, which was related to Yang Jian's matter;

A small skirt, representing Youqin Xuanya's ascent to the Heavenly Court and the Super Heavenly Soldier project;

A "sick" character, referring to the one hundred and eight demonic soldiers and the Netherworld's affairs;

A stone, subtly referring to Lady Shiji, a figure he intended to visit later...

A dining table, representing the social gathering of the Chan and Jie Sects' Sage disciples...

A cave, subtly referring to the Fire Cloud Cave;

A cloud, referring to a visit to Great Immortal Zhenyuan of Wuzhuang Temple, to see if he could win over such a neutral powerful being...

After these, there were seven or eight more items, before Li Changshou drew a simple wooden house, symbolizing the establishment of Lin Tian Hall.

"These tasks are indeed quite numerous."

Li Changshou chuckled lightly. His thoughts flowed freely, and insights arose immediately. He was about to close his eyes and concentrate, but his mind slightly stirred.

The paper effigy in the Moon Palace detected that Long Ji was approaching the Moon Palace with her young aunt, Huayun.

Huayun had now changed her name to Immortal Yunhua. In just two years, her cultivation had reached the True Immortal realm.

Her cultivation was not achieved through practice but directly bestowed by the Queen Mother. It would later be elevated to the Heavenly Immortal realm. Her disadvantage was her complete inability to fight, while her advantage was possessing a pure immortal spirit body.

Although this method couldn't directly elevate her to the Golden Immortal realm, the Heavenly Court had the Peaches of Immortality, which could grant Immortal Yunhua a long lifespan.

This form of cultivation was like a cheat code, delivering sudden insights at regular intervals.

This was the true "game-breaking advantage" provided by the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother!

Li Changshou waited for a moment. Long Ji, accompanied by Immortal Yunhua, flew from the side of the grand hall, not disturbing the practicing Chang'e goddesses, and arrived before Li Changshou's seat.

Li Changshou adjusted the bronze mirror's position and temporarily disabled its "sound transmission" function, so that the mirror in front of the God of Water's residence only displayed his face.

"Teacher," Long Ji whispered.

"Hmm," Li Changshou nodded with a smile, rose to give a Daoist bow to the two Heavenly Court 'princesses', then conjured two cushions and gestured for them to sit.

"What brings you here?"

Long Ji proactively sent a voice transmission: "Teacher, Auntie has something she wishes to ask of you... Teacher is Father's most trusted person. Could you please intercede and ask for Auntie to be allowed to descend to the mortal realm for a visit?"

Immortal Yunhua's eyes held a hint of apology as she murmured, "I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Descend to the mortal realm?"

Li Changshou frowned and sent a voice transmission: "For no particular reason, why would you descend?"

Yunhua sighed softly and handed a letter to Li Changshou. Li Changshou opened it and saw it was a letter from Immortal Yunhua to Yang Tianyou...

The letter was still filled with profound longing and the suffering of deep affection.

Li Changshou glanced at it for a few moments, then returned the letter, murmuring:

"Immortal Yunhua, the day you ascended to the heavens, you severed your ties with the mortal realm. I know your feelings are deeply rooted, but I can only advise you here... Go to His Majesty and reveal the truth. Only with His Majesty's permission can this marriage of yours bear fruit. His Majesty also has memories of experiencing mortal tribulations and is already aware of this matter. If you are honest with him, His Majesty might even bring Yang Tianyou to the Heavenly Court to reunite with you."

This was indeed the most perfect version for the birth of Erlang Shen Yang Jian, and Li Changshou even felt confident he could persuade the Jade Emperor.

But unfortunately, he couldn't forcibly interfere.

"This..."

Immortal Yunhua subtly frowned, softly murmuring, "I am still a little afraid."

Li Changshou smiled: "If you're afraid, perhaps it's better to forget."

"If only I could forget, alas..."

"Long Ji," Li Changshou said sternly, "it's not advisable for you to be involved in this matter any further. Do not presume that a little cleverness can deceive the eyes of others. In the Heavenly Court, the saying 'gossip can be terrifying' also holds true."

With that, Li Changshou gently waved his hand. Immortal Yunhua's eyes were red-rimmed; she bowed respectfully and turned to depart on her cloud.

Long Ji, standing by, seemed about to speak but hesitated. However, Li Changshou's gaze at that moment was exceptionally stern, causing Long Ji to freeze for a moment before bowing her head in assent.

A few days later.

In the immortal palace where Immortal Yunhua resided, a dark shadow subtly appeared. It lightly touched the forehead of the sleeping Immortal Yunhua, disturbing her dream, and then quietly departed.

After the dark shadow vanished without a trace, two figures slowly materialized in a corner of the immortal palace.

The person on the left, with the appearance of an ordinary young Daoist, was naturally Li Changshou's paper effigy;

And the young general on the right, clad in battle armor and with an angry expression, was none other than His Majesty the Jade Emperor's new avatar—Qin Tianzhu.

The name had been proposed by Li Changshou.

The two were enveloped within an immortal power barrier. With Immortal Yunhua's cultivation, she naturally couldn't detect their presence.

Qin Tianzhu cursed in a low voice, "That Fu Yuan truly deserves to die!"

Li Changshou, however, said, "Your Majesty, look around Princess Yunhua."

Qin Tianzhu's eyes glowed with golden light. He glanced behind Immortal Yunhua and saw a faint wisp of gray aura entwined around her.

"Tribulation energy..."

"When Immortal Yunhua sought out this minor god a few days ago, she had already entered the tribulation. It's not advisable for us to act rashly."

Qin Tianzhu took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Chang Geng, keep a close eye on this matter. If Huayun truly succumbs to the tribulation, I will make sure that Fu Yuan dies a miserable death!"

Li Changshou asked, "What if Princess Yunhua wishes to descend to the mortal realm?"

"She is being driven by tribulation energy, and I cannot act against the will of the Heavenly Dao... *Sigh*, let her be."

The Jade Emperor's avatar sighed softly, then gritted his teeth and cursed:

"That scoundrel Yang Tianyou! Arrange more hardships for him; I must make him suffer thoroughly! Is it easy for me to have a younger sister?!"