Chapter 463: Longevity Plus One

The Jade Emperor's incarnation, Qin Tianzhu, was currently feeling quite flustered.

It was the first time Qin Tianzhu had witnessed Li Changshou and other experts discussing how to defeat and repel enemies using methods unfamiliar to him.

Poison pills.

The Jade Emperor actually had little knowledge of poison pills. Having originated from Zixiao Palace as a primordial being, he had been chosen as the Heavenly Emperor before he ever had a chance to venture out into the world. His previous understanding of poison pills was limited to the notion that they were a minor branch of alchemy and that their toxicity was merely a characteristic of certain elixirs. The only master of poisons the Jade Emperor had ever encountered was Lu Yue from Nine-Dragon Island, who stood before him. The poison pills Lu Yue had just demonstrated crafting were absolutely unparalleled in the Great Desolation!

When Lu Yue introduced his methods for deploying poisons, he explained: "It generally involves releasing the poison pills and activating them with immortal power, or preparing them beforehand as poisonous powders or mists. During combat, when you get close to the enemy, you deploy the poison."

Qin Tianzhu secretly noted that this method of deploying poison didn't exceed his imagination.

However, Li Changshou frowned slightly and commented: "Senior Brother, your method of using poison actually wastes the greatest advantage of poison pills for killing enemies—surprise. Senior Brother, look at this item. This appears to be a horsetail whisk, but beneath its silver strands are hidden fine needles coated in poison. When activated by immortal power, they can harm enemies silently and imperceptibly. Now look at this item. This appears to be a lantern. When you activate this magic treasure, its light will illuminate, but in reality, it secretly emits wisps of captivating fragrance..."

Qin Tianzhu frowned, unable to help but wonder why his Water God was even researching such things.

Lu Yue gasped slightly. He picked up the ingenious magic artifact, carefully examining it, and whispered, "While this is a good treasure, the poison pills must be colorless and odorless."

Li Changshou replied, "It's actually very difficult for us to achieve true colorlessness, odorless-ness, invisibility, and untraceability. Many poison pills, in pursuit of peak lethality, cannot also achieve those other qualities."

"Exactly!" Lu Yue's eyes lit up. He said joyfully, "Just that one sentence proves, Junior Brother, that you are truly an expert in this field! So, how then should the poison pills be deployed? I, your Senior Brother, have not pondered these matters. Please enlighten me, Chang Geng."

Li Changshou smiled: "Didn't we agree to discuss everything together, holding nothing back? If I didn't trust Senior Brother so much, I wouldn't dare bring these out. It's no exaggeration to say that Senior Brother's poison pills are unparalleled in the world. Deploying poison directly also involves several methods. The foundation lies in alchemy techniques and the subsequent processing of the pills. The first approach is to divert the enemy's attention during combat, and then subtly release the poison. Senior Brother, look at this treasured sword of mine. It's just an ordinary immortal treasure. When activated, it emits dazzling golden light, which can conceal most of the poison powder..."

Lu Yue took the long sword Li Changshou offered, fondling it with adoration, and praised: "Truly excellent..."

Qin Tianzhu couldn't help but turn his head away, finding it somewhat unbearable to watch.

He then heard Li Changshou continue: "The second approach is to deploy poison pills using formations. Senior Brother, please look. This is a miniature formation I've crafted. It can only be activated once and has two effects: temporarily trapping enemies and killing them with poisonous mist. Its advantages are quick deployment and wide coverage, allowing for large-scale elimination of enemy forces."

Lu Yue was immediately overjoyed. Holding the chessboard-sized miniature formation, he couldn't stop praising: "Amazing, amazing! The ingenuity of this concept is comparable to three alchemy recipes!"

Li Changshou slowly began to speak, continuing to explain the art of using poison. He covered everything from activation by immortal power, magic artifacts, and formations, to the application of fundamental tactics like 'creating something from nothing,' 'crossing the river in the dark,' 'feinting to the east while attacking the west,' and 'crossing the sea under camouflage of darkness.'

Lu Yue listened with extreme seriousness. At that moment, he felt as if the malevolent aura in his primordial spirit had been purified... To be honest, he wasn't very popular within the Jie Sect. At this moment, a suppressed emotion seemed to be stirring and surging within his heart. When it comes to making friends, the most precious things are acceptance and appreciation.

Qin Tianzhu couldn't help but ask, "Water God's understanding of poison pills is so profound, why haven't we seen Lord Water God use them to deal with powerful enemies before?"

"General Qin, you may not know," Li Changshou sighed, "My cultivation path is still short. My proficiency in poison pills has not yet broken through; I am unable to refine Golden Immortal-level poison pills. After working for the Heavenly Court, every time I take action, Lord Grand Pure would bestow treasures for my protection. Poison pills are like chicken ribs to me, so I just keep them for my incarnations to use for self-defense while traveling."

Lu Yue, the Qi Refiner from Nine-Dragon Island, really valued his reputation. Having heard so many of Li Changshou's poisoning techniques, Lu Yue was already somewhat restless. Now, hearing Li Changshou say this, Lu Yue immediately took out a finger ring and shoved six Golden Immortal-level poison pill recipes, some precious medicinal herbs, and two poison scriptures containing his refining insights, all to Li Changshou.

This gift was truly too generous; Li Changshou even hesitated to accept it, as the karmic implications were significant. However, he genuinely desired them.

Lu Yue smiled: "Chang Geng, if you refuse, it means you look down on your Senior Brother. Since you can tell me so many ways to deploy poison, how can this Daoist not give you methods for refining poison pills? No matter how potent a poison pill is refined, if the opponent simply dodges it when deployed, wouldn't it be useless?"

Li Changshou: ...

In truth, he hadn't even revealed his ultimate trump cards regarding poisoning methods. Moreover, he had only discussed general methods at this point. When it came to actual execution, just the process of transforming poison pills into poisonous mist involved numerous intricate details and specific requirements.

Thoughts swirling in his mind, Li Changshou took the finger ring, bowed to Lu Yue, and said, "Many thanks, Senior Brother!"

"Now that's more like it!" Lu Yue's eyes crinkled in a smile again. He reminded: "But Chang Geng, powerful as poison pills are, they must not be abused. It's like swords and blades. If used to eliminate evil, even a demonic weapon is a good sword. But if used to indiscriminately kill the innocent, even a peerless immortal sword is nothing more than an evil weapon or demonic blade. Ultimately, it is people like you and I, who use poison, who bear the karma. Do not lightly invite karmic sin."

Li Changshou stood up and performed a Daoist bow, saying aloud, "Senior Brother's teachings today, Chang Geng will bear them in mind!"

"Come," Lu Yue beckoned, "let's ponder some more, are there any more ideas for deploying poison?"

Li Changshou smiled and took out a paper effigy. "Senior Brother, are you aware of my paper effigy incarnation method?"

"It's famous throughout the Great Desolation; who doesn't know about it?" Lu Yue looked at the paper effigy, pondered for a moment, and his eyes lit up: "What if we imbue the paper effigy incarnation with potent poison and detonate it amidst a pile of enemies!"

"That's just one of them..." Li Changshou chuckled twice and continued to talk animatedly with Lu Yue.

These two immortals: one was the Water God of the Heavenly Court, gradually becoming famous in the Great Desolation for his excellent strategies and calculations, always coming up with new tricks—ahem, always having ingenious schemes; the other was a disciple of the Jie Sect Saint. Although his reputation wasn't as resounding as the eight great disciples or the Seven Attendants of the Jie Sect, his ability to refine poison pills had been tested by the Jade Emperor's incarnation and was indeed unparalleled.

These two had come together, and their conversation grew increasingly fervent. It seemed as if they were about to become sworn brothers right then and there... Qin Tianzhu silently picked up his wooden chair and sat opposite the two, observing carefully. He could actually feel that these two seemed destined to be close confidantes and had now formed a mutually complementary and enhancing relationship. To what extent would this develop? Qin Tianzhu felt as if he saw a gradually opening abyss behind these two. And when they turned to gaze into the abyss, the abyss stretched out two legs... and ran, ran away.

Unconsciously, more than two hours had passed again. Qin Tianzhu silently served himself food and poured wine, comforting himself not to look to the side. Li Changshou and Lu Yue were squatting in a corner, guarding a half-zhang tall alchemy furnace, discussing the "invisibilization" of poison pills. Both of them were somewhat unyielding in their words, but they were already casually putting arms around each other's shoulders, quite intimately.

Qin Tianzhu sighed inwardly... What had he even heard in these two hours? The art of Dimension Shift combined with paper effigy self-detonation, then using this to spread the poison at the fastest possible speed... This was merely basic operation. What shocked Qin Tianzhu the most was that the divine ability 'Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers,' which Li Changshou had developed to its extreme, actually had two ultimate profound meanings! One was the 'poison immortal bean' route; the second was the 'beanification' of elixirs, directly treating Golden Immortal-level poison pills as beans to transform them into poisonous soldiers. Moreover, both of these ideas had already been proven by Li Changshou, and the techniques were already mature!

Qin Tianzhu was currently still thinking about the conversation from half an hour ago. At that time, Lu Yue posed a profound question: "Chang Geng, why did you not use these methods in the war against the demon race?"

Li Changshou smiled: "This is the way of being an official in the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals cannot simply be props. If I took all the credit, how would the various generals and marshals think? Moreover, I am a civil official; I cannot fight on the front lines every day. I must cultivate a group of generals to share the burden of His Majesty the Jade Emperor."

At this moment, the mindset of a certain Jade Emperor incarnation underwent a slight change. As the saying goes in the Great Desolation, "all talk and no action is just a show."

As Li Changshou and Lu Yue's conversation grew animated and they found each other congenial, Lu Yue was already itching for action. He wanted to find a few Grand Unity Golden Immortals to spar with and test out his newly acquired methods.

Li Changshou, however, said, "Senior Brother, calm yourself. Soon, people from the Western Sect should come to Heavenly Edge Pavilion to exert pressure. At that time, we'll identify those burdened with karmic sin, kill them instantly, and thus deter the others."

"Alright, we definitely can't let Heavenly Edge Pavilion suffer any damage!" Lu Yue said quite seriously.

"Senior Brother, rest assured. If the Western Sect forcefully presses and acts arrogantly, you and I will turn everything upside down for them."

"Excellent!" Lu Yue raised his right hand. Li Changshou understood, and clasped hands with Lu Yue. They then looked at each other and smiled, their heroic spirit soaring... but then deflating halfway.

Li Changshou said in a deep voice: "Senior Brother, we can't just confront them directly on a whim. To be safe, we still need to make some preparations."

"Oh?" Lu Yue asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Li Changshou explained, "The struggle between major sects involves intricate complexities. Currently, the Jie, Chan, and Western Sects are facing their tribulations. If Senior Brother directly takes action, it would be akin to both sides tearing off their masks. Let's put on some disguises and use pseudonyms. Even if they recognize us, as long as we don't make any verbal mistakes, we can insist that someone is framing us and deliberately sowing discord!"

"Brilliant!" Lu Yue's eyes lit up. "As Chang Geng said, but how should we disguise ourselves?"

"First, apply makeup to change our appearance. It's best to have a thin mask. Then, use transformation spells and illusion spells. That should barely suffice."

"Where can we find such thin masks on short notice?"

"I brought them," Li Changshou said, taking out several treasure pouches from his sleeve.

"You brought... You're a paper effigy incarnation; who in the world doesn't know that by now? Why would you carry these things?" Lu Yue was instantly a bit dumbfounded.

"These are all essential items for traveling," Li Changshou chuckled. "Senior Brother, please observe."

With that said, Li Changshou took out a thick paper effigy from his sleeve. This paper effigy, wreathed in immortal light, transformed into a middle-aged Daoist, and he casually tucked the "Li Changshou" standing beside him into his sleeve. A golden elixir slowly rotated. Streams of immortal light surged around the paper Daoist, and several drops of spirit beast essence blood diffused in various places. This paper Daoist actually exuded the sensation of flesh and blood. Even Lu Yue and Qin Tianzhu, staring at it, couldn't directly determine whether it was a living person or a paper effigy.

Li Changshou smiled, "Earlier, deliberately revealing my whereabouts was merely to make clear the Heavenly Court's stance. Otherwise, how could Old Madam Bian have directly conversed with us?"

As he spoke, Li Changshou took out two masks from a treasure pouch. He and Lu Yue put them on together, each performed a spell to change their aura, and then exchanged poison pills and poison-deploying artifacts.

Lu Yue smiled, "Why don't we come up with a more resounding name for ourselves, like 'the Twin Fiends of X'?"

Li Changshou thought for a moment. "Since we use poison, we naturally can't openly declare it. How about we each carry a sword and go by the name of 'swordsmen'?"

"Good!" Immediately, Lu Yue found two post-celestial spirit treasure-grade swords, and both of them strapped them to their backs.

Lu Yue said, "How about we call ourselves the 'Heaven-Slaying Twin Swords'? Isn't that an imposing name?"

With a "puff," Qin Tianzhu, who was drinking, turned his head and spat out a mouthful.

Li Changshou quickly said, "I, your Junior Brother, serve the Heavenly Court. Why should we go against Heaven? How about this: 'The Twin Swords of Wind and Waves'?"

Qin Tianzhu couldn't help but interject, "You might as well call yourselves 'Harmers of Heavenly Harmony'."

"Huh? Hahaha!" Lu Yue clapped his hands and burst into laughter. "That's a good name, and very fitting! Let's use that name. It will also remind us that if we abuse poison to indiscriminately kill innocents, it will indeed harm Heavenly Harmony."

"Excellent," Li Changshou said, bowing to Qin Tianzhu with a smile. "Many thanks to General Qin for the name."

Qin Tianzhu's mouth twitched a few times. He could only wave his hand and sat there in a daze, unsure what to say.

Li Changshou then said, "Senior Brother, if the Western Sect sends a large number of experts to pressure Heavenly Edge Pavilion, the display will certainly be grand. Before I came, I observed the layout of this small world. Three sides have stronger formations, while the front has weaker ones. The opponent will initially aim to exert pressure, and eighty percent of them will gather outside the main formation. How about we get into position beforehand and set up an ambush? At that time, we just need to silently eliminate the enemy experts above the Golden Immortal realm. The crisis at Heavenly Edge Pavilion will resolve itself, and it will also make the other side wary. Senior Brother, rest assured. Later, I will divert their attention away from Heavenly Edge Pavilion. What's most valuable about Heavenly Edge Pavilion to the Heavenly Court is the intelligence it has accumulated over the years, which can allow the Heavenly Court to quickly integrate the Three Thousand Worlds."

"Everything as Chang Geng says!" Lu Yue nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with the sentiment of 'what more could one ask for with such a Junior Brother?'

Seeing this, the Jade Emperor's incarnation, Qin Tianzhu, couldn't help but fall into contemplation. Was this kind of state in Lu Yue often present in him, the Heavenly Emperor? It was worth deep thought...

Immediately, Li Changshou's Golden Immortal-realm paper Daoist, taking Lu Yue with him, furtively escaped outside the small world, found a hidden spot, cast the Mustard Seed Dimension spell, and concealed their forms. Li Changshou had already decided to firmly manipulate Lu Yue, this grandmaster of poisons, into the palm of his hand... While hidden, the two also exchanged techniques for refining and dispersing poison. 'If Elder Wan Linjun were here, the atmosphere might have been even more fervent,' Li Changshou couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Meanwhile, Li Changshou left his previous paper Daoist incarnation in the Phoenix Attracting Pavilion, waiting with Qin Tianzhu for Heavenly Edge Pavilion's reply.

Another half-day later, Bian Zhuang rushed over, inviting Li Changshou and Qin Tianzhu to the grand hall they had previously visited, to discuss face-to-face with the old women from Heavenly Edge Pavilion. Li Changshou naturally wouldn't refuse. He had already anticipated this situation. He had to demonstrate the Heavenly Court's sincerity, present the Dao Sect's support, and make Heavenly Edge Pavilion feel sufficiently secure; only then could he gain Heavenly Edge Pavilion's full support. Then, using Heavenly Edge Pavilion's connections as a springboard, he would quickly assemble various forces and enlist those factions whose interests had already been threatened by the Western Sect... An anti-Western Immortal Dao Alliance could quickly gain momentum within two or three decades! This way, he could gain more time and a more secure environment for the Lin Tian Hall...

In that secluded grand hall within Heavenly Edge Secret Realm, Li Changshou, in front of His Majesty the Jade Emperor, debated against more than ten people by himself. He started from the examples of the Western Sect and the demon race, spoke of the Western Sect's eagerness for prosperity, and then mentioned how the Western Sect, failing to win over the Dragon Race, angrily destroyed the Eye of the Sea and forcefully seized the Dragon Race's treasury... Every single point and statement was true, naturally possessing persuasive power. Subsequently, Li Changshou deliberately, in front of the Jade Emperor's incarnation, explained the Western Sect's schemes and how their situation in the Five Continents was currently unfavorable, forcing them to intensify their exploitation of the Three Thousand Worlds... and so on.

This debate lasted for half a day. Ultimately, these more than ten old women were persuaded by Li Changshou. Li Changshou secretly reminded Old Madam Bian that the previous views of two or three of the old women seemed problematic, and advised her to pay more attention to them. Qin Tianzhu, observing from the side, felt as if he was watching a "grand play." He pondered from time to time, couldn't help but nod, and was almost persuaded by Li Changshou himself, believing that the Heavenly Court would surely win and could easily sweep away everything... The Water God's words were worth half of the Heavenly Court's combat power.

Old Madam Bian, in front of Li Changshou, personally wrote a reply letter and sent someone to deliver it to the faction that had previously threatened Heavenly Edge Pavilion... The other side immediately began to gather experts. They again sent a jade talisman message to Heavenly Edge Pavilion, declaring that they would personally visit in three days, and by then, Heavenly Edge Pavilion must give a different answer!

In the dead of night, within the Phoenix Attracting Pavilion, Bian Zhuang had just delivered the jade talisman sent by the other side... The Jade Emperor's incarnation, Qin Tianzhu, slammed the table and cursed through gritted teeth: "Do these people truly not regard our Heavenly Court? They know Water God is here, yet they still threaten like this!"

Li Changshou said gently, "The Western Sect actually has no choice but to do this. They have operated in the Three Thousand Worlds for so long. This place is like their home ground. If they allow us to establish a firm foothold so easily, they might as well just surrender."

Bian Zhuang also asked, "Water God, should we directly dispatch troops from the Heavenly Court?"

"No rush," Li Changshou calmly shook his head. "There will be a way to break the deadlock later. Just reassure your grandmother; Heavenly Edge Pavilion won't need to deploy a single soldier. The worst-case scenario is merely using a delaying tactic, and I'll directly reveal my identity."

Bian Zhuang nodded, completely unconcerned, and turned to rush to inform his grandmother.

After Bian Zhuang left, Li Changshou looked at the still fuming Qin Tianzhu and sent a voice transmission: "Your Majesty, since coming out this time, I feel you have changed quite a lot."

Qin Tianzhu's attention was indeed diverted. He smiled, "Oh? How have I changed?"

"You've become more composed," Li Changshou continued via voice transmission. "Previously, Bian Zhuang and Senior Brother Lu Yue's words were somewhat disrespectful, yet Your Majesty did not seem to be angered."

"Is that all?" Qin Tianzhu shook his head somewhat dismissively: "A mortal tribulation has made me understand many things. When I was the Jade Emperor, they revered the Heavenly Dao behind me, and Dao Ancestor. When I am Qin Tianzhu, merely an ordinary Heavenly Court general, they don't know the truth, so how can it be considered disrespectful?"

Li Changshou nodded with a smile.

"In three days, Chang Geng, you need not hold back; act as you see fit." A hint of coldness flashed in Qin Tianzhu's eyes. "I will act from the High Heavens Palace, ensuring that when you and Lu Yue eliminate beings from the enemy faction, you will not incur any karmic sin. I want to see how far they can go in disregarding the Heavenly Court! Since they have chosen to be enemies with the Heavenly Court, it matters not whether they have merits or karmic sin. Your use of poison this time is approved by me. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be used. If these petty individuals are not deterred promptly, it will only invite more trouble! If any loyal Heavenly Court factions are still bullied by them, then I, this Heavenly Emperor, need not continue!"

"Your humble servant obeys. This time, I will certainly show no mercy! And Your Majesty, rest assured, your humble servant has already dispatched more incarnations to this location. Traveling by escape spells, they will arrive here in two days!"

Qin Tianzhu slowly nodded, closed his eyes in contemplation. His consciousness had likely returned to his main Jade Emperor body.

And so, three days later.