Chapter 501: Wind and Clouds Gather at the Red Lotus, Exposing the Hidden Struggle

Kunlun Mountain is not only home to the Jade Purity Palace, a saint's dojo, but also a renowned gathering place for rogue cultivators in the Primordial World. Many old deities cultivating here are mostly not directly affiliated with the Chan School, as its disciple recruitment threshold is quite high, often beyond the reach of ordinary Golden Immortals. Many immortals cultivating here are well-informed and knowledgeable, maintaining close ties with various markets, towns, and major sects across the Central Divine Continent. Consequently, Kunlun Mountain gradually became a hub for rumors and unofficial news in the Primordial World, with the almost daily immortal banquets held on its various peaks serving as prime venues for socializing among deities and immortals. Du'e was a well-known figure.

In the past half-month, ninety percent of the news circulating in the Primordial World about the imminent appearance of the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus originated from here. Initially, most immortals dismissed this as false information. The Primordial World is vast, and similar rumors abound daily, making it hard to discern truth from falsehood. But when Daoist Du'e, Patriarch of the Immortal Du Sect and a registered disciple of the Human School's Saint, spoke after a few drinks, things changed.

"Could this news possibly be false? I've inquired with many friends. The Twelve-Grade Red Lotus is indeed about to appear. This item can suppress the destiny of a great sect! Several of my friends from the Jie School have already rushed to the Sea of Blood to search for it. Please don't ask too many questions, and don't spread this news, lest it cause trouble for my friends. I promised them to keep it a secret."

Thus, within days, the news of the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus's imminent appearance spread to all major immortal sects across the Five Continents of the Primordial World, as well as dozens of nearby Great Thousand Worlds. Experts from various immortal sects and rogue cultivators from the Five Continents of the Primordial World swarmed towards the Sea of Blood, forcing the Underworld to prepare for battle and leaving the Heavenly Courts no choice but to deploy more troops.

Fortunately, Li Changshou had not investigated the source of the news...

With a surge of experts in the Sea of Blood, matters became complicated. While numerous rogue cultivators and immortal sect members arrived, most fought independently, converging when there was an advantage and dispersing when trouble arose. The Asura Tribe views the Sea of Blood as their home and places immense importance on the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus, showing hostility to all qi refiners who come to search for its traces. However, they too lacked accurate information about the lotus. Both sides have begun to engage in skirmishes, with the qi refiners quickly retreating after engaging, as no one wishes to fight to the death.

The Western, Chan, and Jie Schools have begun to restrain their disciples, especially the Western School, most of whose experts have returned to Spirit Mountain and are no longer involved in the Sea of Blood. This has led Li Changshou to suspect in recent days whether the Western School has already found the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus but deliberately left it untouched, intending to use it to incite conflict among the three Daoist Schools. But how could the Western School, which outwardly claims to be "impoverished," not take such a supreme treasure? Or perhaps, for some reason, they couldn't retrieve the Blood Lotus, so the Western School chose to abandon it and then spread the news to manipulate others? This explanation seems the most reasonable.

A headache. Li Changshou's only feeling right now was a considerable headache. At the edge of the Sea of Blood, within the grand formation where 200,000 elite Heavenly Soldiers were stationed, he was pacing back and forth in his tent.

In the main seat, Heavenly Courts' General Wei Shenmo, stroking his long beard, spoke in a rough voice: "Water God, haven't the immortals from the Chan and Jie Schools come to find you yet?"

This fourth avatar of the Jade Emperor clearly took some effort, as his appearance, demeanor, and choice of words all carefully avoided reminding anyone of the Heavenly Courts' Jade Emperor. At his question, Li Changshou stopped pacing, returned to his seat as 'strategist' at the side, and sighed, "This indeed proves that my friends are quite good."

"Oh?" Wei Shenmo adjusted the immortal helmet on his head. "Why do you say that?"

Li Changshou replied, "We've been here for six days already. None of the immortals from the Jie or Chan Schools with whom I am acquainted have appeared. They are likely afraid of putting me in a difficult position."

Wei Shenmo let out a hearty laugh, saying, "Indeed, that's how it is. I originally thought that as soon as we arrived here, experts from both schools would come to meet with you. I was even worried earlier that a fight might break out here."

"No, Marshal, rest assured. Everyone knows the score... hmm?" His immortal sense suddenly detected from both the east and west directions a streak of light rapidly approaching the Heavenly Soldier encampment, each containing a jade talisman.

This... Just finished praising, and both sides sent messages?

Suddenly, a golden light flashed by swiftly, and the two jade talismans, still a thousand li from the camp, were captured by this golden light. A moment later, the tent flap opened, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng, clad in golden chainmail, strode in, presenting the two jade talismans to Li Changshou.

"Teacher, I've checked them. There are no tricky schemes!"

"Good," Li Changshou replied, seemingly calmly taking the talismans, but in reality, his heart remained eighty percent vigilant. After reading the messages in the jade talismans, Li Changshou's white brows first furrowed tightly, then relaxed, and he murmured, "Golden Peng, please continue patrolling outside."

"Yes!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng cupped his hands in salute, turned and left in a hurry, his spirits very high.

The Jade Emperor's avatar, Wei Shenmo, rose and asked, "What's the news?"

Li Changshou handed one of the jade talismans to Wei Shenmo and slipped the other into his sleeve, smiling, "Marshal, please don't look at this one."

Wei Shenmo's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "Is it from Fairy Yun Xiao?"

"Yes," Li Changshou let out a soft breath. "She told me to handle matters here with peace of mind. She also knows my difficult position, and advised me not to let personal feelings sway my stance. She also said that if she comes to the Sea of Blood later on her master's orders to contend for the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus, she will do her best to persuade her fellow disciples not to lightly initiate conflict."

Wei Shenmo praised, "She truly is a sensible fairy. Water God, why not marry her soon?"

"Too soon, too soon," Li Changshou quickly said. "Marshal, please read the letter from the Chan School first. This is from Senior Brother Chi Jing Zi."

"Let me see," Wei Shenmo said, rolling up his sleeves. His immortal sense probed the talisman, and he read it carefully. "Water God, this doesn't actually say much. It's just asking if the Red Lotus matter is true or false."

Li Changshou said, "The key is in the last sentence."

"Hmm?" Wei Shenmo looked at it a few more times, pondering the meaning. "If this matter is true, then I ask Junior Brother Chang Geng to make a decision soon."

"The Chan School wants you to state your position." Wei Shenmo tossed the jade talisman onto the desk, propped his hands on the edge, and added, "Looking at the wording of their letter, it's polite and respectful. They've certainly given you, Water God, enough face. But coincidentally, there's also a letter from Fairy Yun Xiao. For now, we can consider this the Jie School's stance. Comparing the two, the closeness and distance are immediately clear."

Li Changshou asked with a smile, "Marshal, you seem to favor the Jie School more?"

Wei Shenmo retorted, "Isn't that because of you!"

Then the two looked at each other and smiled, beginning to discuss countermeasures on how to write a reply to the Chan School.

Half an hour later, Bai Ze, maintaining his auspicious beast form, flew in from the horizon, accompanied by a brawny man with a bullring in his nose, who was part of the 'Human School Mount Squad' that had gone to the Sea of Blood for initial reconnaissance. Why didn't he take the Golden-Winged Great Peng with them? In fact, a few days ago, the Golden-Winged Great Peng had proactively identified himself as a junior, offering to carry Bai Ze and Green Ox, two 'seniors,' to explore the Sea of Blood together. But... He was simply too fast. The Golden-Winged Great Peng's extreme speed was too terrifying and completely unaffected by the Sea of Blood. But as a result, Bai Ze wouldn't have time to sense if danger or safety lay ahead before the Golden-Winged Great Peng would already crash into it. Moreover, flying too fast made it impossible to investigate thoroughly, proving somewhat counterproductive. Thus, the Golden-Winged Great Peng could only wave goodbye with tears in his eyes, seeing off the two leaders of the Primordial World's mount industry, and proactively requested to patrol around the Heavenly Soldier encampment.

Soon after, Bai Ze, maintaining the demeanor of a high-class auspicious beast, along with the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Green Ox in their human forms, entered the main tent together. Li Changshou went forward to greet them, invited Green Ox and Golden-Winged Great Peng to take their seats, while Bai Ze nonchalantly walked behind Li Changshou's chair and elegantly lay down.

The Heavenly Soldier Marshal, who was "unworthy of having a mount," spoke up, "Have you two found anything?"

Green Ox shook his head, "Everything was in chaos. We searched every corner. There's no trace of the karmic red lotus."

Bai Ze mused and added, "Could this be a deliberate ruse by the Western School to mislead everyone?"

"Ahem," Li Changshou coughed, raising a hand. He chuckled, "This matter should be true. At that time, the matter of the Underworld's Reincarnation Pagoda had just been resolved. Because I had directly faced a saint's pressure and had done too much strategizing and planning, my mind couldn't quite hold up, and I was utterly exhausted..."

"Water God!" Wei Shenmo's eyes filled with shame. He rose, cupped his hands, and said, "You've worked hard, toiling for the common people of the world!"

Bai Ze turned his head, unable to bear watching directly. The Golden-Winged Great Peng beside him was filled with adoration, and Green Ox also nodded in clear approval. In the area of saving all living beings and resolving conflicts by mobilizing people, Li Changshou indeed possessed extremely rich experience.

Li Changshou gave a wry smile, "Let's talk about the main matter first. I'm not trying to gain sympathy. That time, I fell asleep in a haze, and my mind also relaxed. A wisp of Heavenly Dao power took advantage of this opening and condensed such a scene in my mind." Li Changshou opened his left hand. Faint mists emerged from his palm, and within them appeared the scene he had witnessed in his dream: A blood lotus and an old Daoist.

Wei Shenmo puzzled, "At that time, Water God, why didn't you go and remove this blood lotus?"

"I was worried it was the Great Tribulation deliberately luring me," Li Changshou said solemnly. "Moreover, I was busy forming the Immortal Alliance and couldn't spare the time. If such a blood lotus needed to be destroyed, the Heavenly Dao could directly send down a Heavenly Punishment. Why would I need to act?"

Wei Shenmo agreed deeply, nodding and sighing, "The Water God truly has too many responsibilities to attend to."

Bai Ze, however, said, "Can something shown by the Heavenly Dao still be ignored like that?"

Li Changshou sighed, "It's been twice, and no karmic merit has been formed. It truly makes one less motivated to act."

RUMBLE! A muffled thunder suddenly rumbled overhead. Li Changshou quickly corrected himself: "For the stability of heaven and earth, for the well-being of all living beings, what does it matter if there's no karmic merit? Mister Bai, let's not mention karmic merit anymore!"

Bai Ze's goatee quivered slightly, then he lowered his head in acknowledgment, a hint of resentment in his eyes.

Wei Shenmo steered the conversation back to the main topic, saying worriedly: "Since we can't find any trace of the Red Lotus, how should we deal with the current situation? More and more qi refiners are now arriving at the Sea of Blood. Conflicts with the Asura Tribe are constant. If we delay for a few more days, the situation might get out of control."

Li Changshou said, "Marshal, don't rush. We must keep our thoughts clear and not panic. First, we must continue searching for the Red Lotus's whereabouts. Later, we'll go see Ksitigarbha and Di Ting, to see if that divine beast, who can hear the thoughts of all living beings in the Three Realms, can bring us any good news. Second, the Heavenly Courts must issue a public notice to protect the Underworld. The Sea of Blood can be chaotic, but the Underworld is the place of reincarnation and must never descend into chaos. Third, we must find a way to bring the Chan and Jie School immortals together, discuss this matter openly, and negotiate terms. Firstly, we must ensure that this red lotus is controlled by the Heavenly Courts and the Daoist Schools. Whether to destroy it or keep it can be discussed later. Without further ado, Marshal, let's go to the Reincarnation Pagoda to find Di Ting first."

"I'll go too," Wei Shenmo stood up. "The Reincarnation Pagoda isn't far anyway."

Li Changshou readily agreed, then turned around and... tilted his head in confusion. He saw Bai Ze, who had been maintaining his auspicious beast form, now taking elegant Bai Ze steps, with streams of dazzling light surrounding him, and the colorful feathers on his head shimmering with seven-colored radiance. An ancient auspicious beast, capable of seeking fortune and avoiding disaster, and one of the ten great demon marshals – truly the preferred mount for great sages. If one were to ride on this auspicious beast when going out, one would laugh and chat with no ordinary people, and every word spoken would be true. What it represented was prestige.

Li Changshou chuckled inwardly. Just as he was about to step forward, golden light flashed beside him, revealing the Golden-Winged Great Peng transformed into its two-zhang-long true form, with a jade cushion formed on its back. Son of the Original Phoenix, possessing extreme speed, and a Heavenly Courts' Marshal – truly worthy of being the top choice for a swift mount. If one were to ride on this Golden Peng when going out, tens of thousands of li could be crossed in an instant, and thousands of enemies could be slain in a casual chat. What it represented was extreme speed.

At this moment, the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Bai Ze met each other's gaze with one eye. The former's eyes held respect and a hint of eagerness, while the latter's eyes were full of confidence...

Li Changshou: ... Seriously, a 'love triangle' scenario among his mounts was something he truly hadn't expected. One was a strategist, the other a warrior. What mount did he need? Couldn't he just escape on his own? How should he choose now? He couldn't exactly split himself in two...

"Ahem," Li Changshou feigned a cough. Suddenly, a gentle moo came from his side. He saw Green Ox, who had been maintaining his brawny human form, now transform into his true form, and called out to Li Changshou, "This is the treatment only a Saint Lord gets. Care to try it out?"

Li Changshou chuckled softly, cupped his hands in a salute, and carefully hopped onto Green Ox's back, which temporarily rescued Li Changshou from his predicament. In front, golden light flashed and auspicious glow receded, as Bai Ze and the Golden-Winged Great Peng simultaneously reverted to human form, smiled at each other, and together made a gesturing invitation. This made Wei Shenmo, who had been hesitating whether to choose left or right, awkwardly rub the tip of his nose. He could only follow by riding a cloud.

***

Central Divine Continent, Golden Light Cave on Mount Qianyuan.

Two white clouds rapidly flew in from the northwest direction, carrying two old Daoists: Chi Jing Zi and Daoist Huang Long. After entering the mountain-guarding formation and arriving before the Golden Light Cave, three figures had already emerged from within the cave to greet them. The graceful young Lingzhuzi stepped forward to salute. The taciturn Daoist Yuding slightly frowned. Daoist Taiyi, conspicuous in his red robe, had a helpless smile on his lips, as if he had long anticipated Chi Jing Zi's arrival, and sighed, "Senior Brother, you truly came after all."

Chi Jing Zi said gravely, "Junior Brother, do you know what has happened?"

"It's nothing but the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus," Daoist Taiyi said with a dismissive curl of his lips. "Let me be clear, I'm not too familiar with Li Chang Geng, nor are our ties particularly strong. Don't ask me to go persuade him."

Hearing this, Chi Jing Zi's brows furrowed slightly. He said, "Firstly, this matter concerns the destiny of our Chan School. Secondly, it concerns the stability of heaven and earth. We must treat it with caution."

Daoist Yuding, however, said, "We don't lack great treasures to suppress our school's destiny."

Chi Jing Zi added, "But according to Senior Grandmaster's meaning... even if the entire Western School is annihilated in this Great Tribulation, it won't be enough to appease the tribulation's karma."

Huang Long sighed, "This matter is indeed quite troublesome."

Daoist Taiyi said indifferently, "We don't lack treasures. We can just watch from the sidelines. If we truly want to fight the Jie School—facing each other, seizing the initiative, or exchanging vulgar insults—all of that is understandable. 'May my fellow Daoist die, not I.' But to secretly trip up the Jie School... that's a bit, tsk. Has Senior Grandmaster also been influenced by Vice Sect Master Burning Lamp? Do we truly have to fight to the death with the Jie School?"

Chi Jing Zi remained silent. Daoist Huang Long wanted to explain, but upon recalling the days he spent drinking and enjoying himself with Zhao Gongming, he could only let out a soft sigh.

Daoist Yuding said, "At this time, don't send a message to Chang Geng. Otherwise, it will only make things difficult for him."

"Why?" Chi Jing Zi asked. "On my way here, I already drafted a letter and sent it to the Underworld via a jade talisman."

"Then what's there to fight about?" Daoist Taiyi couldn't help but complain. "The person who can decide the outcome has been pushed to the Jie School's side."

"This?" Chi Jing Zi was slightly confused.

"Alas," Daoist Yuding sighed. "It seems we'll have to make a trip to the Underworld."

Meanwhile;

Deep in the East Sea, lay the Three Immortal Islands, enveloped in a thousand li of mist.