Chapter 496: Poison Immortal's Lifespan Tribulation, Sixth General Visits Heaven

Under the desolate and cold grand lotus platform, a white cloud slowly drifted from north to south across the shimmering water.

Li Changshou maintained the appearance of an old immortal with white eyebrows and white hair. The distance between him and Daoist Cihang was...

A full seven chi!

He kept his eyes straight ahead and listened sparingly. Although he had cast a barrier around them, this immortal energy barrier was transparent and clear, ensuring no misunderstandings would arise.

At the edge of the lotus platform, Zhao Gongming, with folded arms, wondered aloud, "Brother Lu Yue, what do you think Sister Cihang wants to discuss privately with Chang Geng?"

"Brother, I truly do not know the answer to that."

Lu Yue sighed, "I've only heard that among the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan School, Sister Cihang is gentle and upright, and her cultivation realm is quite good."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother snorted, "In any case, it won't be anything good."

"Indeed," said Zhao Gongming. "It's becoming clear now that Chang Geng is the main orchestrator of this great tribulation. Chang Geng is a Daoist disciple and a powerful deity in the Heavenly Courts. Even the Heavenly Dao owes him merit. This relationship is almost impossible to untangle, so it's understandable that the Chan School would want to win over Chang Geng."

Hearing these words, Lu Yue also began to feel a bit worried. "Could it be that the Chan School intends to..."

Zhao Gongming and Golden Spirit Holy Mother exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. They clearly attached great importance to the matter.

Uncle Zhao said in a deep voice, "Brother Lu Yue, I need to ask you something, and you must answer truthfully."

"Just ask, Brother Gongming, I will certainly tell you everything I know."

Zhao Gongming whispered, "That Heavenly Shore Secret Realm, exactly..."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother's treasured sword unsheathed three inches, and her beautiful eyes were full of warning.

Zhao Gongming's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swiftly changed the subject. "Has Chang Geng ever made a mistake?"

"How could he make a mistake?"

Lu Yue quickly said, "Brother, I can guarantee with my Daoist heart and mind that Chang Geng has been in the Heavenly Shore Secret Realm for so many years and has absolutely never entangled himself with any immortal maiden. Even Old Madam Bian, who is now the seventh-ranked Deputy Alliance Leader and the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Shore Pavilion, has sent people to ask me several times whether to arrange some activities for Chang Geng to relax from his busy duties. I have always firmly refused! Chang Geng resides in the Heavenly Shore Secret Realm to accomplish great things, for the sake of all living beings in the world!"

Zhao Gongming nodded with satisfaction. "And then?"

Lu Yue's old face flushed. "Old Madam Bian was simply too enthusiastic. Every time, she arranged something for me, your junior brother..."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother's long sword unsheathed, its blade shimmering with clear ripples.

Lu Yue shrank his neck, clamped his legs together tightly, and instinctively hid behind Zhao Gongming.

"Hmph!"

Golden Spirit Holy Mother put away her long sword and looked down at the situation below.

Zhao Gongming, with hands clasped behind his back, nudged Lu Yue with his shoulder. The latter let out a long sigh of relief and stood nervously to the side.

To think of Lu Yue, who was, after all, the Jie School's foremost master of poison. Leaving aside battles with mighty experts or top-tier masters, simply scattering his poison pills could bury a large number of Golden Immortals.

Yet, in front of the eight great disciples of the Jie School...

...he was just a junior brother.

Just then, a streak of golden light flashed across the sky as the Golden-Winged Great Peng soared back, landing beside Zhao Gongming and the others without disturbing them below.

Zhao Gongming asked, "Have you found the whereabouts of that Void Bodhi?"

"No," the Golden-Winged Great Peng shook his head, somewhat dejectedly. "It seems he managed to escape just in time." Yet, Water God Teacher had said it would be a great achievement.

"He truly is a formidable individual."

Zhao Gongming gazed at the setting sun and sighed, "When he caused trouble earlier, I was truly worried for Chang Geng."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother said, "We should have killed him directly when his avatar appeared."

Lu Yue, however, said, "Sister, Chang Geng likely intended to use this villain's coercion to naturally utter those previous words, thereby winning the complete allegiance of all forces within the Immortal Alliance."

"Is that so?"

Golden Spirit Holy Mother said, somewhat dismissively, "I thought Chang Geng almost overplayed his hand."

Zhao Gongming chuckled, "Chang Geng is resourceful and rarely miscalculates."

"Indeed!"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng praised from the side, "Teacher is the wisest person I have ever met in my life!"

The three great figures of the Jie School each revealed a knowing smile.

Zhao Gongming chuckled:

"Every time the Western Sect schemes nowadays, they almost lose a Saint's disciple. This time, Void Bodhi is entangled by tribulation karma and is wanted throughout the Three Realms by the Heavenly Courts. Who knows what fate awaits him? What are they still fighting for? They should just quietly wait for the great tribulation to descend."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother revealed a faint smile. "If every time the Western Sect schemes, one of their Saint's disciples gets outsmarted by Chang Geng, that wouldn't be bad at all."

Lu Yue pondered for a moment, then said, "Judging from Void Bodhi's words today, the Western Sect still has quite a few capable individuals. We absolutely cannot be careless."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother looked down at the water surface, where Li Changshou and Cihang had been conversing for a while.

At this moment, Li Changshou was frowning in thought, appearing to have encountered something difficult, while Daoist Cihang beside him had a hint of guilt in her eyes.

"What exactly are they talking about?" Golden Spirit Holy Mother seemed quite curious.

Just as Zhao Gongming was about to take out a few detection spirit treasures he had coaxed from Senior Brother Duobao;

Below, Li Changshou said a few words to Daoist Cihang. Cihang smiled and agreed, made another Daoist bow to Li Changshou, then turned and departed on a cloud, leaving only a faint sigh behind.

Li Changshou returned the bow to Daoist Cihang's departing back, also letting out half a sigh, and returned to the lotus platform on a cloud.

"What happened?" Zhao Gongming asked directly.

"Something about the Chan School," Li Changshou chuckled. "It's nothing major. Let's return to the Five Divisions Continent. The Immortal Alliance has been established today; the most difficult step has been taken. From now on, it will depend on them to operate themselves... Brother Lu Yue, may I entrust you with an important matter?"

Lu Yue's spirits lifted, and he chuckled, "Just say it directly. Why use the word 'entrust'?"

"In the future, I might need you, Brother, to be permanently stationed in the Heavenly Shore Secret Realm," Li Changshou said seriously.

Hearing this, Lu Yue was initially pleased, but then he saw the senior brother and sister behind Li Changshou, especially Golden Spirit Holy Mother's sharp gaze...

"Well," Lu Yue looked troubled and whispered, "Chang Geng, junior brother, I also need to... need to rest for a bit."

He suddenly understood why there was a precious medicine like the 'Mind-Steadfastening Pill'!

Li Changshou frowned, "I'm concerned that the Western Sect might cause trouble in the Heavenly Shore Secret Realm later, and the Heavenly Shore Secret Realm will also become a place for various Immortal Alliance forces to exchange information. Without you, Brother Lu Yue, guarding it, it would truly cause a lot of trouble."

"Ahem, since it's for official business—"

Lu Yue drew out his words and weakly glanced at Golden Spirit Holy Mother.

"Why are you looking at me?" Golden Spirit Holy Mother said indifferently. "Be more careful when acting outside. Your reputation is growing, and your every action represents the demeanor of our Jie School's Saint's disciples. If too many rumors spread outside, don't blame me when I come to discipline you!"

"Yes, yes, Sister, rest assured, I definitely won't let any news get out..."

"Hmm?"

"I, Lu Yue, will certainly not do anything to tarnish the reputation of our Jie School!"

That day, when Lu Yue made this promise, he was resolute and extremely serious;

If Li Changshou's paper avatar hadn't personally witnessed it later – that Lu Yue had only sat idly for two days before accidentally entering a lavish pavilion filled with beautiful women – Li Changshou might have actually believed him...

The Immortal Alliance Grand Meeting concluded without incident. Lu Yue returned to the Heavenly Shore Secret Realm to oversee it, while Bai Ze and Jiu Wu had already retreated with the crowd.

The Lintian Hall had now entered a period of rapid development. With Bai Ze overseeing it, Li Changshou felt quite at ease.

At this time, the Western Sect's attention throughout the Three Thousand Worlds was focused on the Immortal Alliance. This was Li Changshou's primary objective, and it had now been perfectly achieved.

Relying on the Golden-Winged Great Peng's speed, and at Golden Spirit Holy Mother's suggestion, they once again toured the Western Sect's incense god kingdoms established in various places, causing destruction and slaying powerful cultivators. It wasn't until Golden Spirit Holy Mother lost interest that they finally set out on their return journey.

A month after the successful conclusion of the Immortal Alliance Grand Meeting, on the coast of the South Sea, in the back hall of the Sea God Temple.

Golden Spirit Holy Mother bid a cheerful farewell and departed first.

Zhao Gongming, however, was still not entirely at ease. He used the excuse of staying for tea, deliberately sent the Golden-Winged Great Peng away, and asked Li Changshou again:

"What exactly did Sister Cihang of the Chan School want when she sought you out earlier?"

Li Changshou chuckled and sighed, "It was actually quite simple. She pleaded on behalf of Daoist Randeng, hoping I would no longer target him in the future. I did not agree."

"That's all?"

"That's all," Li Changshou said seriously. "Sister Cihang and I have only met twice. What else could there be?"

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and let out a long sigh. "Then I, this old brother, can rest assured. Time to go home, time to go home!"

Li Changshou could only shake his head. What kind of person did they take him for!

After Zhao Gongming left, Li Changshou specifically summoned the Golden-Winged Great Peng and asked, "Jinpeng, look at me. Do I seem like someone who would be easily swayed by female beauty?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng chuckled, "Teacher, you're jesting. How could you be captivated by female beauty?"

"What about this?"

Li Changshou turned around and transformed into the appearance of a young Daoist, who bore a seventy percent resemblance to his original form.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng pondered for a few moments. He... clearly showed some hesitation and doubt.

Although Li Changshou had fully participated in the 'taming' process of the Golden-Winged Great Peng and had five to six tenths of trust in him, his main body's whereabouts still could not be detected by the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

After the Golden-Winged Great Peng returned to the Heavenly Courts' Water God Residence to cultivate, Li Changshou first toured the South Sea, incidentally inspecting the 'fish' life there, then took two strolls outside the heavens, only then quietly returning to Little Qiong Peak.

This excursion had lasted for quite some time. Li Changshou had originally thought Ling'e would be worried and scared. But upon quietly returning to Little Qiong Peak, he found Ling'e beside the spirit beast enclosure, happily swinging on a swing with Xiong Lingli...

A certain Heavenly Courts Water God silently took out the formation diagram for the Little Qiong Peak Complex Grand Array, preparing to have Ling'e continue reviewing her studies later and requiring her to complete it with a single stroke!

Now, regarding the main business of the Immortal Alliance.

In the next two years, the Western Sect was anything but quiet. On the surface, the various incense god kingdoms tightened their defenses and did not expand their spheres of influence outward. The Western Sect's scattered forces that were originally spread across various locations also quickly converged into the various incense god kingdoms, strengthening their defenses. The Immortal Alliance, under the 'guidance' of the Heavenly Courts' Water God, trained immortal soldiers and gathered masters, beginning preparations for their first major battle.

Covertly, the Western Sect never stopped their deceptive tactics, continuously attempting to dismantle the Immortal Alliance by resorting to sneak attacks, bribery, division, and sowing discord, using every means imaginable. The Immortal Alliance, still under the 'guidance' of the Heavenly Courts' Water God, began to promote the Heavenly Courts' incense and faith, gradually encroaching from the fringes of the various incense god kingdoms. Gaining incense believers from the incense god kingdoms could both shake their foundations and prevent these mortals from suffering a collapse of faith, which might lead to tragedy.

Both sides continuously engaged in overt and covert battles, but the Western Sect's Saint disciples had completely disappeared, and not many masters were seen in the various incense god kingdoms. Daoist Wen Jing had also visited the Sea God Temple once in the past two years to deliver intelligence, and the information she provided was very valuable: —The Western Sect had sent many masters into the Sea of Blood, seemingly searching for a certain treasure.

Li Changshou quickly thought of that bloody lotus flower...

Unfortunately, Daoist Wen Jing also had only a partial understanding of the matter, as the Western Sect had not allowed her, someone from the Sea of Blood, to join this search. Regarding this, Li Changshou could only tell Daoist Wen Jing not to concern herself further with the matter, as he had his own plans.

The three crucial Human School treasures—the Taiji Diagram, the Qiankun Ruler, and the Xuanhuang Pagoda—had been with him for two years. Even when he had previously placed the treasures before his teacher's portrait, the teacher had not taken them back. This spoke volumes.

Precisely because of this, and because Bai Ze, Jiu Jiu, and others had gone to manage the Lintian Hall, Little Qiong Peak, which had temporarily become somewhat quiet, was very lively these past two years. Li Changshou and Ling'e's spiritual consciousnesses were like two 'chat groups', with the Taiji Diagram, Qiankun Ruler, Xuanhuang Pagoda, Heart-Piercing Lock, and Flame-Light Banner chatting about everything daily. Although it greatly broadened Li Changshou's and Ling'e's horizons, listening for extended periods was quite exhausting. In particular, Grandfather Pagoda had been continuously urging Li Changshou to invite the Primordial Golden Dipper and Golden Jiao Scissors to live with them, to expand the size of the spirit treasure chat group; Fortunately, Li Changshou's willpower was extraordinary. Considering the subsequent great tribulation from all angles, it was indeed not advisable to enter the 'passion realm' with Fairy Yunxiao at this stage, lest she become distracted during the tribulation or be exploited by its karma.

One day, Li Changshou was in the alchemy lab, firing up a furnace to refine pills. In his hand, he held a porcelain bottle containing the 'Mind-Steadfastening Pill' refined by Lu Yue, meticulously analyzing its medicinal properties. It truly was a 'divine pill' of equivalent 'tactical value' to his own 'Heartfire Burn'! If used together with the 'One Hundred Beauties Grow Old' series of magical artifacts, it might even purify the 'evil qi' in Brother Lu Yue's primordial spirit!

After pondering for a while, Li Changshou put away the pill, gazing at the flickering flames in the dark alchemy furnace, a little lost in thought... Should he seclude himself for a period and quietly await the discussion of the Investiture of Gods at Zixiao Palace?

The tree desires calm, but the wind will not cease; the Western Sect would certainly cause more trouble next, as the current situation was quite unfavorable for them. Regarding the matter of the bloody lotus flower, although Li Changshou did not wish to actively participate, he had always been very concerned about it. Based on the information obtained so far, it could be inferred that bloody lotus flower was likely the result of a lotus seed from the destroyed Twelfth-Grade Karma Fire Red Lotus, and was an contingency plan for Old Ancestor Nether River's resurrection. According to Wen Jing's report, the Western Sect possessed a lotus seed from the Twelfth-Grade Red Lotus, which was the main reason the Asura tribe pledged allegiance to the Western Sect. But the Western Sect would never easily hand over the lotus seed. —Old Ancestor Nether River had defied the heavens back then. Assisting his resurrection would surely incur immeasurable karmic debt. Furthermore, considering that the Western Sect was likely also searching for the whereabouts of this lotus flower, it was highly probable that the Western Sect was not manipulating this matter from behind the scenes. So, where did this bloody lotus come from? And who was scheming behind it? The Asura tribe doing it themselves? Even less likely. At this time, the great tribulation had already descended with its karma. How many times would the Asura tribe have to be kicked by a donkey to resurrect their own ancestor during a great tribulation...?

For a long time, Li Changshou's gaze had shifted back and forth between the Daoist sects, the Western Sect, and the Heavenly Courts. But regarding this bloody lotus, Li Changshou felt he had to step outside his usual framework and maintain extra vigilance.

"For now, let's wait and see how things develop."

Li Changshou chuckled lightly and began to contain the furnace fire, preparing to collect the pills. Just then, a surge of Heavenly Dao power condensed within the Immortal Ascension Gate, causing Li Changshou's hand to tremble and almost destroying a batch of spiritual pills.

"What is this?"

Li Changshou looked at the gourd-shaped peak enveloped by the power of the Heavenly Dao and couldn't help but smile faintly.

Elder Wan had finally achieved a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, in a certain secret realm on Spirit Mountain in the West Niu He Continent.

"Please, two teachers, save me! Please, two teachers, save me!"

Before the revered forms of the two Saints, an old Daoist with graying hair was repeatedly kowtowing, a wisp of greenish-black tribulation karma clearly visible on his forehead.

"Alas."

The Receiving Saint sighed, slowly closed his eyes, and said, "Junior brother, why not take a trip to the Heavenly Courts?"

"What Senior Brother says is true," the Zhunti Saint chuckled, holding a potted plant filled with seven-colored auspicious light. "It's time to visit the Heavenly Courts and meet today's Heavenly Emperor."