Chapter 531: Chang Geng Cultivates the Mysterious Body, Will Head to Zixiao Palace

A few days later, in a remote corner of Spirit Mountain in West Niuhe Continent.

Daoist Wenjing clutched her left shoulder, her pretty face pale and bloodless. Her aura fluctuated erratically, making the blood-red gauze dress she wore seem even more vibrant.

Behind Daoist Wenjing, a man and a woman, transformed from primordial fierce beasts, knelt on one knee, each bearing injuries. The man, a transformed beast, had a large indentation on his chest, with bones shattered around the wound. He was currently sustaining himself purely by magical power. Upon closer inspection, the basin-sized injury was perfectly outlined like a bull's hoof…

The atmosphere was slightly oppressive.

In front of Daoist Wenjing lay the mangled remains of a fierce beast, its oppressive aura still lingering. The carcass, over two zhang long, resembled a black-furred fierce bear. Its body was now incomplete and disfigured, clearly having endured a torrential assault before its demise.

On the other side of the remains, several figures sat in the shadows—all old Daoists with patched robes. One old Daoist's eyes glowed with divine light as he stared at Wenjing’s clutched shoulder, asking doubtfully: “The Azure Ox? Lord Laojun’s mount? Just a mount reduced you all to this state?”

Daoist Wenjing hastily replied, “Deputy Leader, that Azure Ox is extremely powerful and an ancient exotic species, quite difficult to deal with! He possesses a steel ring, a secret treasure refined by Lord Laojun, capable of retrieving all kinds of unbound magic treasures. Moreover, he has a fan that, with a single wave, blew us beyond the heavens…”

“Nonsense!” a short, stout old Daoist beside her cursed, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. “You failed to retrieve the Yuan Tu Sword, and you were even forced into such a pathetic state by a mere mount. What good are you to Spirit Mountain?!”

“Deputy Leader, it was—it was the Water God!” the woman transformed from a fierce beast behind Wenjing immediately exclaimed. “The Heavenly Court’s Water God intervened. He must have anticipated this and laid an ambush around that traitor Iron Fan early on!”

The five old Daoists exchanged glances. The central one spoke in a deep voice, “Is this true?”

Wenjing frowned, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

The woman cried out in a trembling voice, “Please spare us, Deputy Leader, this is absolutely true! We could not possibly mistake that Daoist aura; such paper figures are now only possessed by the Water God in all three realms!”

The old Daoists’ gazes immediately sharpened. The short, stout old Daoist, who was accustomed to playing the stern role, instantly scolded, “Hmph! Well, Wenjing, why did you conceal this earlier and not report it?”

Daoist Wenjing looked as if she wanted to speak but held back, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of hesitation, seemingly weighing something.

The man transformed from a fierce beast looked up at Wenjing’s back, a faint cold smile playing on his lips. Feigning difficulty, he whispered, “Deputy Leader, please do not blame Commander Wenjing for this! When the Water God appeared, we were in a panic. It was Commander Wenjing who attacked and killed the Water God’s avatar, allowing us to escape smoothly and return to report this matter to you.”

“What did you say?” one old Daoist immediately stood up, his eyes wide, and demanded, “Wenjing, did you truly kill the Water God’s avatar?”

Daoist Wenjing turned her head and glared at the man, who immediately lowered his gaze, appearing quite frightened. A true battle of seasoned actors.

“Nonsense!” the short, stout old Daoist shouted. “Our Master strictly commanded us not to provoke the Water God Li Changshou for the next hundred years, and you, Wenjing, knew this, yet you still attacked and killed the Water God’s avatar! That Water God is vindictive and insidious; he will surely retaliate against our Spirit Mountain!”

Another old Daoist beside him sighed, “Wenjing, do you know that a senior brother once destroyed one of the Water God’s avatars and was targeted by Zhao Gongming of the Jie Sect, back when the Water God had not yet risen to prominence? Now the Water God has been conferred the title of Grand White Gengjin Star Lord and presides over matters of the great tribulation… Are you afraid he will resent us less?”

Daoist Wenjing slowly closed her narrow, phoenix-like eyes, a hint of helplessness and subtle mockery in their depths. She sighed softly and said, “If we hadn’t killed the Water God’s avatar, I fear none of us would have returned here. If the Deputy Leader believes Wenjing made a mistake, Wenjing will accept the punishment. But ultimately, I feel somewhat defiant. The Water God was merely a Golden Immortal realm avatar there; if we didn't kill him, we wouldn't have survived. Why couldn't we kill him?”

“Wenjing, who are you giving attitude to?! You!” The short, stout old Daoist with the fiery temper was loudly scolding when he suddenly heard a soft sigh, and his booming voice abruptly ceased. A figure in gray robes mysteriously appeared before Daoist Wenjing. The universe showed not a ripple! The old Daoists hastily rose, bowing in hurried Daoist salutes to the gray-robed figure, unanimously addressing him: “Master.”

Daoist Wenjing’s body trembled. She immediately lowered her head and prostrated herself, not daring to look up at the gray-robed old Daoist. This aura, this subtle pressure… It was the true pillar of the Western Sect, Jieyin Daoist, one of the Six Sages!

“Wenjing greets the Grand Leader!”

“Mm,” Jieyin responded, his hands hanging at his sides, his figure slightly hunched. “Raise your head.”

A few drops of cold sweat seeped from Daoist Wenjing’s pale cheeks, and her Dao Heart felt icy cold. The pressure from a Saint, the secrets in her heart, and such close proximity caused her Dao Heart to almost collapse instantly. Yet, she was ultimately Mosquito Daoist, a formidable figure from the Primordial Era, a primordial fierce beast who had emerged from the Sea of Blood. Her Dao Heart was truly resilient. At this moment, she slowly raised her head, her narrow, phoenix-like eyes trembling continuously.

Jieyin’s eyelids were half-closed, his gaze seemingly capable of seeing straight through Wenjing’s Dao Heart! Wenjing dared not utter a sound at this moment, her Dao Heart utterly blank. She forced herself to repeatedly recall the battle in that small world a few days prior… The furious Azure Ox tearing fierce beasts apart with its bare hands; her shredding the Water God’s paper Daoist in a flash…

“Don’t be afraid,” Jieyin Daoist said, taking a step forward. He moved around Daoist Wenjing and stopped in front of the man transformed from a fierce beast.

“Look up.” The man, who had been bowing his head, swallowed hard and quickly raised his head, meeting the Saint’s gaze… A moment later, Jieyin Daoist’s wide sleeve gently swayed. The man’s eyes instantly dulled, and his body suddenly collapsed, turning into a small pile of fine black sand. There was no longer any trace of life.

Jieyin Daoist slowly said, “Wenjing is promoted to the top position of Dark Protector.” After speaking, Jieyin Daoist’s form gradually blurred, dissolving into the wind amidst the old Daoists’ acknowledgments.

Daoist Wenjing’s face was deathly pale; she almost collapsed to the ground. Yet, a faint smile appeared on her lips as she bowed deeply towards the depths of Spirit Mountain in gratitude. “Wenjing thanks the Grand Master!”

The old Daoists’ expressions were slightly complex. When they looked at Daoist Wenjing’s graceful figure, they already showed gentle smiles. The short, stout old Daoist who had been scolding Wenjing the most fiercely flicked his sleeve and walked away.

Half an hour later, inside Daoist Wenjing’s cave dwelling. A faint buzzing sound swept past, and Daoist Wenjing materialized, weakly collapsing onto her bed, exhaling a long breath. How utterly exhausting… As if having survived a tribulation, her heart couldn’t help but recall the message she had received from Lord Water God—no, now Lord Star Lord—a few days earlier…

“Wenjing, it’s me. This ox spirit before you is Lord Laojun’s mount; its power is superior to yours. You must not reveal your identity in the slightest, not even to Laojun’s ox. Take this opportunity to kill one of my paper Daoist avatars, then escape back to Spirit Mountain with one or two of your subordinates. Use this to claim credit and solidify your position in Spirit Mountain. Adapt to circumstances, and do not hesitate when you strike at me later.”

On the bed, Daoist Wenjing gently frowned, feeling the impact of the Saint’s pressure from earlier. Her pale complexion rapidly regained its color. ‘How long does Lord Li Changshou want me to remain undercover in the Western Sect? And what exactly does he want me to do here?’

The top position of Dark Protector, one of the three great protectors of the Western Sect, a status second only to the Deputy Leaders and above ordinary Saint disciples. Daoist Wenjing sighed faintly… This task was truly becoming increasingly difficult.

‘Wenjing should be fine,’ Li Changshou’s true body thought, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back within the scroll of a certain mural in the underground secret chamber on Little Qiong Peak. Allowing Daoist Wenjing to ‘rashly attack’ and kill one of his paper Daoist avatars to claim credit was always a bit too daring and lacked proper caution. Although he believed he had executed it flawlessly, it was ultimately a deliberate act and could easily reveal a flaw. Nevertheless, overthinking it was useless. Wenjing should have returned to Spirit Mountain by now. As a primordial fierce beast and a formidable figure from the Primordial Era, she would surely be able to handle any perilous situation herself. He didn't need to worry too much about her exposure. An old expert like Wenjing, who valued her life so much, would certainly not joke with it. What he should worry about was whether Wenjing might grow soft when the time came to act, if the Western Sect offered her too many benefits…

Li Changshou’s immortal senses caught sight of Ling’e’s graceful figure arriving by cloud from the lakeside. His true body sat back in his bamboo chair, closed his eyes, and focused, continuing to handle post-event matters. The Azure Ox and Iron Fan had also survived a ‘minor tribulation’ this time. That day, the scene of the ox violently smashing the primordial fierce beast clearly stunned Iron Fan… She knew the Azure Ox possessed extraordinary strength, but she hadn’t expected him to be so formidable! Her Aunt Wen, whom she had always feared and respected, had actually been severely wounded by a single palm strike from the lover to whom she had entrusted her life, willing to sacrifice herself to protect him…

The paper Daoist avatar that Li Changshou manifested after the battle uttered a sentence to Iron Fan that overturned many of her ingrained impressions. “Iron Fan, you must also try to trust those around you. Don’t always try to shoulder everything alone. Many things you consider difficult might just be trifles for Senior Brother Azure Ox.” This instantly elevated the Azure Ox’s household status by several ranks! A testament to camaraderie.

At the end of that fierce valley battle, the Azure Ox, guided secretly by Li Changshou, wielded the Banana Fan to unleash a gale of profound yin winds, directly sending Daoist Wenjing and the other two fierce beasts tens of thousands of miles away. Afterward, the Azure Ox, along with the still-recovering silver-haired girl and Li Changshou’s paper Daoist, hastily departed that small chiliocosm, heading directly back to the Five Continents.

Since Iron Fan had been targeted by the Western Sect, she naturally couldn’t continue traveling leisurely. And most importantly… The Azure Ox had wandered long enough; it was time for him to return to his duties.

Under Li Changshou’s arrangements, Iron Fan was sent to the Shang Tribe in the Southern Continent of Jambudvīpa, entrusted to Kong Xuan’s care, serving as a companion for the reincarnated Seven Emotions. The Azure Ox would later descend to the mortal realm periodically to meet Iron Fan, just as Ao Yi did. If Lord Laojun permitted, it wouldn’t matter if the Azure Ox stayed in the mortal realm for a longer period.

Half a day prior, Li Changshou had already entrusted the Golden Ring to the Azure Ox, who was to return it to the Tushita Palace. The matter of locating the ox thus concluded.

However, it was curious how both the Azure Ox and Old Zhao were so swift in their actions. Did they truly have no concerns about the coming great tribulation? Li Changshou could only offer a wry smile in response. Taking advantage of the current period of stability and the Western Sect’s subdued activity, he once again reviewed the arrangements concerning the Investiture of the Gods several times. When contending with Heaven, one must be cautious; being even a billion times more stable would not be excessive.

Thus, a rather serious question presented itself to Li Changshou. Should he allocate some of his energy to comprehending the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, shifting from his previous ‘casual practice’ to ‘diligent study,’ thereby entering the final two realms?

Li Changshou had already realized that the Eight-Nine Arcane Art was not perfect. For humans, lacking the naturally strong physiques of the Witches, cultivating the Eight-Nine Arcane Art would always have shortcomings. However, the solution to this problem, the essence blood of the Ancestral Witches, had already been entrusted to Li Changshou by Empress Houtu through the Yama King.

Nine represents the extreme of yang numbers, and eight the extreme of yin numbers, as seen in the concept of ‘Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.’ The Eight-Nine Arcane Art also carries numerous meanings. Of course, it could also be interpreted as the name itself implying a missing ‘point,’ unable to achieve the perfection of ‘nine times nine returning to one.’ This might be due to the obstruction of the Heavenly Dao, or perhaps even Empress Houtu could not deduce this cultivation method to absolute perfection, requiring the essence blood of the Ancestral Witches to finally compensate for its deficiencies.

Li Changshou spent several days attempting to deduce it and found a significant power difference between the Eight-Nine Arcane Art assisted by Ancestral Witch essence blood and without it. If he could cultivate this arcane art to its pinnacle with the aid of Ancestral Witch essence blood, he would gain an additional divine ability: as long as his soul remained, his physical body could be reborn at any time! While there were myriad body-cultivation methods left from the Primordial Era, only this arcane art could achieve such a feat.

Aside from diverting his energy and distracting his comprehension of the Dao of Balance, what harm could there be in cultivating this art? In fact, there was none; overall, it would provide him with more life-preserving methods. Perhaps he should practice it for a few decades? From this point until the Six Sages convened at the Purple Heavens Palace to discuss the Investiture of the Gods, these few decades presented a rare window of opportunity.

After several days of hesitation, Li Changshou finally made up his mind. He adjusted his surveillance of the Heavenly Court, the Immortal Alliance, and the Lintian Palace to the lowest acceptable level, and began to fully dedicate himself to studying the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. Once he started, he became completely engrossed, unable to extricate himself.

Li Changshou abandoned the insights gained from his previous ‘casual practice.’ He began meticulously scrutinizing and deeply experiencing the art from scratch, almost to the point of neglecting everything else. Consequently, the frequency of his leaving the secret chamber significantly decreased.

Every time Ling’e saw her Senior Brother, she found him either frowning in deep thought or meditating peacefully, rarely so focused on his own cultivation. ‘Is Senior Brother… encountering a bottleneck?’ Ling’e wondered, and could only burn more incense before their master’s spirit tablet, wishing Senior Brother an early breakthrough. In addition, Ling’e temporarily sacrificed her own cultivation, proactively helping Senior Brother monitor matters concerning the Immortal Alliance and taking on some of the琐碎 chores for him.

To Ling’e’s utter astonishment, her Senior Brother’s state persisted for over a decade! Was he contemplating how to become a Saint? Was he about to sever the three corpses? What kind of profound barrier could bottleneck her Senior Brother for over a decade?! Ling’e grew increasingly worried.

Fortunately, Li Changshou did not enter prolonged seclusion. Every few months, he would venture out, attend to various matters, and guide Long Ji’s cultivation a few times. Though Ling’e worried, she dared not ask too many questions, fearing it would put greater pressure on her Senior Brother.

In the sixteenth year of diligently cultivating the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, Li Changshou began refining spirit elixirs, taking medicinal baths, practicing ordinary sword arts, spear arts, and fist arts. He also started setting up grand formations of thunder, fire, water, and wind, then casually strolling into them to enjoy the array’s bombardment…

One day, Li Changshou had just emerged from a killing array outside the alchemy chamber, feeling refreshed and clear-eyed, a faint smile on his lips. In his mind, he was deducing the marvels of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. He finally once again experienced that refreshing feeling of instant enlightenment that came with a single careful step before becoming an immortal…

“Se-Senior Brother?”

“Hm?” Li Changshou composed himself and looked at Ling’e, who was dressed in cultivation attire, and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

“Senior Brother,” Ling’e asked, full of worry, “Have you been stuck at a bottleneck for too long, causing your Dao Heart to become unstable?” Then, Ling’e moved closer, gently massaging Li Changshou’s arm, and softly said, “Actually, you don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself. Cultivation cannot be rushed. Many immortals get stuck at cultivation bottlenecks for hundreds or thousands of years. You’ve only been stuck for over a decade, which is quite common.”

Li Changshou: “…” “I am actually practicing an arcane art,” Li Changshou said seriously. “In its later stages, this arcane art requires borrowing the power of heaven and earth to temper the body and soul. I’m just using arrays as a shortcut.”

Ling’e blinked. “Arcane art?”

“Here,” Li Changshou said, handing over a jade talisman. “It was given by Empress Houtu, and it contains some of my annotations. You don’t need to cultivate it, just take a look.”

Ling’e quietly asked, “Senior Brother, is my aptitude too poor, so I can’t cultivate it?”

“No, this cultivation method requires enduring some hardship and wouldn’t be of much use to you,” Li Changshou said. “Moreover, if not controlled properly, it could result in… an imposing physique.”

Ling’e’s slender hand trembled. She pushed the jade talisman back into Li Changshou’s hand, immediately retreated three steps, and cupped her fist towards him. “Farewell, no need, thank you, Senior Brother!”

Li Changshou smiled without speaking. He retrieved the jade talisman, which he had prepared for Yang Jian, and said, “Go call Lingli over.” With that, he floated back to the alchemy chamber with his hands behind his back, preparing to open the furnace and refine spirit elixirs to enhance physical strength.

Before long, Ling’e hurried over with Xiong Lingli. Li Changshou asked Xiong Lingli a simple question: Did she want to become stronger?

Xiong Lingli nodded decisively, her cute face showing a hint of anticipation as she whispered, “Cousin, I’m an idiot at cultivating the Primordial Spirit Dao. I can’t comprehend many principles, and I haven’t been able to become an immortal all these years… Hehe, I still can’t truly abstain from food, which is quite embarrassing.”

Li Changshou stopped his work, took out a wine gourd from his robe, and smiled, “You originally possess the bloodline of the Witch Tribe. Your long cultivation of Daoist methods has indeed proven that this path is not suitable for you.”

Xiong Lingli sighed, a little disappointed. Ling’e quickly said, “Don’t worry, Aunt Lingli. Senior Brother speaks this way, so he must have a method to help you increase your strength.”

“Precisely,” Li Changshou said, pushing the wine gourd with immortal power. “Inside, half a drop of Ancestral Witch essence blood has been dissolved—specifically, the most stable and gentle essence blood of Houtu. I have calculated that this is the limit of what you can bear. From now on, drink one sip of this wine every month while cultivating this set of techniques.”

As he spoke, Li Changshou retrieved two scrolls from his sleeve and unfurled them in mid-air before Xiong Lingli. “To facilitate your comprehension, I have depicted the circulation paths of internal magical power and various cultivation techniques as drawings. Can you understand them?”

Xiong Lingli nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with excitement.

Thus, several decades passed. Only three years and four months remained until the day the Dao Ancestor decreed the Six Sages would convene at the Purple Heavens Palace to discuss the Investiture of the Gods.

For the past few decades, Li Changshou had been cultivating peacefully in the mountains, which brought Ling’e considerable joy… On this day, Li Changshou concluded his research phase of the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and officially emerged from seclusion. He found Ling’e by the lake, who had just finished her spiritual enlightenment, and instructed her not to go out, as he had something to attend to outside.

Ling’e’s lips twitched slightly as she mumbled, “Senior Brother, what you should be worrying about now isn’t me going out, but someone coming to our Little Qiong Peak.”

“Ah, you’re not wrong,” Li Changshou sighed softly, looking at the ‘mountain peak’ by the lake that had appeared at some unknown time…

“Hm?” Sensing Li Changshou’s gaze, the peak of the hundreds-of-zhang-tall mountain slowly twisted, revealing an enormous ‘cute face.’ It was Xiong Lingli! Squatting on the ground, she raised her hundreds-of-zhang-long, incredibly thick arms and ‘gently’ waved them at Li Changshou. A muffled thunder-like ‘whispering shout’ exploded by the lake, creating layers of waves on the water. “Cousin! You—have—emerged—from—seclusion—!”

Ling’e couldn’t help but cup her forehead with one hand, while Li Changshou felt various forms of relief. Fortunately, under the effects of the Ancestral Witch essence blood, this fellow no longer needed to eat, otherwise Little Qiong Peak would have gone bankrupt years ago!

Li Changshou asked loudly, “How have you been feeling recently?”

“I’ve gotten stronger, and bigger!” Xiong Lingli replied, her face full of happiness, and with careful detail, transmitted, “Didn’t you say you wanted me to be a giant guardian god at the Heavenly Court? When are we going?”

“Just wait until you master transformation techniques,” Li Changshou said, his hands tucked into his sleeves, admiring Xiong Lingli’s majestic and imposing figure with a sigh of admiration. “Tsk, another formidable general.”