Chapter 558: Picking Grapes, Catching Bodhi

A dark and windy night, a night for killing; a time to gather in the Abundant Treasures earthen cave.

In an inconspicuous dense forest southeast of the Central Divine Continent, within a mystical earthen cave formed by a cosmic fissure, several Daoist masters were staring wide-eyed at each other.

They had all followed the guidance of a jade talisman to enter the earthen cave formed by Daoist Duobao's divine power, and then, inside the cave, had arrived at this location, guided by Daoist Duobao himself.

But it wasn't just the newcomers; even Daoist Duobao himself felt a sense of surprise.

"Didn't Junior Brother Chang Geng say we were going to eliminate a major threat to the Dao Sect?"

Muttering to himself, Daoist Duobao frowned, looking at the people before him. Apart from the two from the Chan Sect, the others were old sectmates.

From the Chan Sect came Perfected Taiyi and Cloud Immortal Yunzhongzi. The former was formidable with his words and verbal attacks, while the latter was renowned as a Golden Immortal of Fortune and Virtue, with pure origins and deep blessings.

From their own Jie Sect, besides himself as the Senior Disciple Brother, there were Junior Sister Jin Ling and Junior Brother Zhao Gongming. Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao were still en route and would arrive a bit later.

Just as Daoist Duobao was about to speak, he sensed a flash of five-colored divine light across the sky. It was Kong Xuan, the great phoenix expert, who had also arrived and entered one of the earthen cave entrances.

"A major threat to the Dao Sect?"

Daoist Duobao's eyes lit up, and then he gasped. A daring possibility arose in his mind.

Were they perhaps going to ambush a minor saint of the Western Sect today?

If Senior Brother Xuandu appears later, accompanied by powerful treasures like the Taiji Map, then today's lineup truly signifies something important!

Daoist Duobao's Dao heart, which had been dormant for many years, suddenly began to stir.

He looked to his left and roughly deduced Junior Brother Chang Geng's plan.

First, Perfected Taiyi would speak with veiled sarcasm and mockery, provoking the saint to act. Then, seizing the opportunity, he would declare that this minor saint was bullying the weak, thus setting the tone for today's events.

Next, Yunzhongzi would step forward, taking a palm strike from the saint, feigning or truly suffering serious injury, to prevent their Second Martial Uncle from openly favoring the Western Sect!

And then...

Right, Junior Brother Chang Geng's Great Dao of Equilibrium for All Things is key. Isn't the Great Dao he comprehended precisely for deterring saints?

Given Junior Brother Chang Geng's current progress in cultivation, with the First Martial Uncle providing protection, once Chang Geng reaches Senior Brother Xuandu's Dao realm, who else could Chang Geng's Great Dao of Equilibrium balance?

He couldn't possibly lower his own strength during a fight using the Great Dao of Equilibrium.

Upon closer thought, Junior Brother Chang Geng probably prepared for this long ago.

In such a situation, the Human Sect's powerful treasures would be deployed, Jie Sect experts would fight to the death, and I would unveil my treasure vault, risking the destruction of thirty percent of my collection!

Then there's Kong Xuan's miraculous five-colored divine light sweeping everything away, Junior Brother Gongming's Sea-Calming Divine Pearls exerting cosmic power to suppress, our Master secretly pointing a finger, and the First Martial Uncle appearing above the clouds to swat away Daoist Jieyin...

The Great Desolation, from today onwards, will have five saints!

And they, a few of them, would be the saint slayers, their names immortalized through eternity, echoing across all heavens!

Hehe, hehehehe...

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother?"

Zhao Gongming's voice came from the side, snapping Daoist Duobao out of his reverie. He raised a hand and coughed twice.

Perfected Taiyi, hands tucked into his sleeves, chuckled: "Chang Geng called us all here but doesn't show himself. Tsk, he's truly acquiring the demeanor of a venerable master."

Zhao Gongming quickly interjected: "You can't say that. Chang Geng is certainly not one to put on airs; he must be making other arrangements. We have nothing to do anyway, so we'll just wait here for a bit longer. Perhaps there are still others yet to arrive."

"Others..."

Holy Mother Jin Ling, slightly displeased, calmly stated: "I always feel that Chang Geng doesn't quite trust us individually. This time, I don't even know who he plans to eliminate; he only mentioned a major threat to the Dao Sect."

Daoist Duobao, who believed he had guessed the answer, showed a slightly simple yet somewhat smug smile.

This was Yunzhongzi's first time participating in such an event. Although it was because Perfected Yu Ding went to 'supervise' Yang Jian's training, and Perfected Taiyi, when traveling alone, was prone to being beaten, Yunzhongzi was only invited along after receiving Li Changshou's approval.

Taiyi still possessed this degree of self-awareness.

Yunzhongzi stroked his beard and quietly asked: "Do any of you know who Chang Geng intends to target this time?"

Several gazes immediately turned to Zhao Gongming, and then, following Zhao Gongming's gaze, shifted to Daoist Duobao. The latter gave a faint smile: "We'll discuss it when Chang Geng arrives. It will certainly surprise us all. Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan has arrived; let's greet her."

No sooner had Zhao Gongming finished speaking than from an earthen cave on the side, Kong Xuan flew forth, accompanied by five-colored divine light, and landed before the group. This made Holy Mother Jin Ling's eyes light up, while Zhao Gongming and Daoist Duobao showed expressions of admiration.

Perfected Taiyi had intended to speak, but instinctively closed his mouth, raising a hand as if to cough.

Behold Kong Xuan's appearance at this moment: Her countenance was dignified and beautiful. Her long, narrow phoenix eyes perfectly complemented her upturned nose, and her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows accentuated the subtle allure at the corners of her eyes. Her face appeared softer than when she last appeared, and her skin was much fairer, possessing the texture of fine jade.

Having heard the news and come today, responding to Li Changshou's summons to support that man's junior brother, she had also taken care to dress up.

Her multicolored long gown was as thin as a cicada's wing, while a pure white inner garment added to her elegance. A slender golden chain hung from her long neck, from which dangled a supreme-grade green spiritual stone, a rarity long extinct since ancient times.

As soon as she appeared, the earthen cave truly gained much more color, and she matched Holy Mother Jin Ling in splendor.

Kong Xuan bowed slightly, then turned and went to a corner to close her eyes and meditate. With Li Changshou absent, she naturally had no desire to converse much with others.

The immortals waited for a while longer, and then Fairy Yun Xiao and Fairy Qiong Xiao flew in together. After exchanging greetings, they waited quietly.

Perfected Taiyi observed the situation inside the cave with interest, noting that if Li Changshou were not present, the various masters were not truly united.

Before long, Li Changshou appeared alongside a middle-aged man clad in golden armor and a large red cloak.

"Uncle-Master Jade Emperor?"

Daoist Duobao murmured, while the other immortals, who had been wondering why Li Changshou brought an unfamiliar face, now all took note of this, the Jade Emperor's first appearance as an avatar.

Li Changshou maintained the appearance of a young Daoist, bearing a three to four tenths resemblance to his true form, which was considered a mark of respect for the powerful figures who had come to assist today.

Upon his arrival at the earthen cave with the golden-armored, red-cloaked Heavenly Court marshal, he first offered a smiling nod to Yun Xiao, who reciprocated with a slight nod.

Immediately after, Li Changshou took the initiative to introduce:

"Senior Brothers and Sisters, Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan, this is Quan Tong, a Heavenly Court general, who has specially come to assist us."

The middle-aged general cheerfully cupped his hands in greeting. The immortals' expressions were slightly subtle, as if none of them knew Quan Tong's true background.

They tried their best to cooperate with this warm-hearted Heavenly Court sovereign.

Quan Tong laughed: "Please proceed with your discussion; I'm just here to observe the excitement."

Li Changshou had already taken out a scroll from his sleeve. He first verbally thanked the powerful figures for appearing to assist, then unfurled the scroll in mid-air and pressed it down, inviting everyone to come and see.

"This is the first plan for this operation, and also the strategy with the highest probability of success and the least likelihood of unexpected incidents. The foremost priority for today's matter is secrecy. We cannot leave the Western Sect any pretexts..."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Duobao's eyebrows twitched. He wanted to speak but held himself back.

How could this *not* leave a pretext? Striking down a Western Sect Saint from their position — surely that couldn't be kept secret?

Then he heard Li Changshou say:

"I have already asked my teacher to act, and he has pinpointed the target's whereabouts. At this moment, he is cultivating somewhere deep in the South Sea. Besides him, there are seven or eight other Western Sect experts."

Martial Uncle Taiqing is acting?

Daoist Duobao's heart settled back into his slightly protruding belly. That's stable now; there's nothing to fear today, just do it! Breaking the Western Sect's pattern of two saints means shattering their opportunity for great prosperity, ensuring that the Western Sect won't be able to stir up any significant trouble in the upcoming Investiture of Gods calamity.

I must say, although Junior Brother Chang Geng handles matters a bit too cautiously, he truly dares to fight and dares to imagine.

Hmm? Listening to Chang Geng's next words, something seems... off?

"...This time, we cannot use our own magic treasures, and we also need to conceal our Dao aura. I have already set up several formation disks for cosmic relocation. After capturing him at location A, we will, in the shortest possible time, fly at the aerial speed a typical Grand Unity Golden Immortal would possess, to location B and enter the formation. I will simultaneously create five or more disturbances in the cosmos to confuse the opponent. To be on the safe side, after catching this Western Sect disciple, we must maintain concealment throughout the entire process, so that even if he escapes, he won't know who acted or how to retaliate."

Holy Mother Jin Ling asked: "Wouldn't it be better to just kill him directly?"

"Keeping him has a great purpose," Li Changshou said, as he extended his right hand, and wisps of black energy condensed into a roaring beast. "This is a divine ability I've recently been pondering: Demon Seed in the Dao Heart. This demon seed is refined from extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons. Placing it in the opponent's Dao heart effectively seals off their Dao realm. The extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon only needs to exploit a crack in his Dao heart, causing him to lose control of it, and then he will surely be under our command. Of course, I have also prepared other methods, such as soul shackles and spirit control, which might be used on him simultaneously later to ensure he serves me and acts as a protector for the Dao Sect. If he would rather die than submit, we can also fulfill his integrity."

Demon Seed in the Dao Heart...Refining extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons...

Daoist Duobao frowned: "Chang Geng?"

"What is it, Senior Brother?"

"Are we not going to fight a saint today?"

The earthen cave instantly fell silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Li Changshou looked at Daoist Duobao, somewhat bewildered, and voiced a question from the depths of his soul:

"Senior Brother, why would we go fight a saint?"

"This..."

Daoist Duobao was immediately speechless.

Zhao Gongming, standing by, laughed: "Well, Chang Geng, you invited us all here, making it so mysterious. Who are we actually dealing with?"

Li Changshou, inexplicably losing some of his confidence, whispered: "Xubodhi of the Western Sect... ah."

The earthen cave fell silent once more. Suddenly, a soft chuckle came from the side; it was Fairy Kong Xuan, who had been amused by Li Changshou's words and let out a laugh.

Perfected Taiyi tucked his hands into his sleeves and muttered: "I just feel like you're mocking us, implying our cultivation isn't up to par."

"This Xubodhi is no simple character," Zhao Gongming said, stroking his beard. "Everyone, don't be careless. Even Martial Uncle Taiqing has taken action; this guy might be hiding some powerful divine abilities."

Yun Xiao, from the side, said softly: "Even a fierce eagle hunting a rabbit exerts its full strength. If we are to capture a Western Sect saint's disciple without revealing our whereabouts, it truly requires the cooperation of multiple experts."

"Indeed," Yunzhongzi said. "We must approach this cautiously... Chang Geng, what has this Xubodhi done that necessitates such a drastic measure?"

Li Changshou pondered for a few moments, then said:

"As for his crimes, there's no need to go into detail; a whole basket wouldn't be enough to hold them. The urgent need to act against him is because he interfered in a major matter that will have a profound impact on the Dao Sect. What he has been doing recently is attempting to create antagonism between the Chan Sect and the Heavenly Court, thereby forming a complete alliance between the Chan Sect and the Western Sect... This matter is quite inappropriate."

Yunzhongzi nodded in understanding, and the several Jie Sect immortals also showed rather solemn expressions.

If the Chan Sect and the Western Sect were to truly join forces, it would certainly mean great trouble for the Jie Sect, and they could not afford to be complacent in the slightest.

Perfected Taiyi, however, let out a soft chuckle, restraining himself from saying more.

Li Changshou took out two more scrolls from his sleeve and smiled: "Let's discuss a few more plans. My teacher's divine abilities have already locked onto him, so we don't need to rush this moment."

In a certain secret realm in the South Sea, the old Daoist, who was meditating and cultivating, unconsciously shivered twice, as if sensing something.

"Why is my mind so restless?"

Xubodhi opened his eyes and looked at the splendid underwater scenery outside the cave. Yet, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

This secret realm was built upon a large coral reef, near an island. It served as an important outpost for their Western Sect, outside of Spirit Mountain, primarily used by some fierce beasts and great demons to lay low.

Xubodhi was here, also preparing to go to the Three Thousand Worlds to continue closely monitoring Yang Jian's situation.

If he could accomplish this, by having Yang Jian cause a disturbance in the Heavenly Court, thereby creating conflict and antagonism between the Chan Sect and the Heavenly Court, he would have performed a great service, making amends for his mistakes in the Immortal Alliance affair.

Recently, Senior Brother suddenly appeared and suffered a significant loss when clashing with the Water God. He was even slandered as having the primordial spirit of Kunpeng. That matter was truly laughable.

Why did he have to confront the Water God directly? Did he really think he could outscheme him?

Xubodhi didn't think he was much smarter than Ksitigarbha. After suffering a major setback once, he immediately changed his approach, doing everything while avoiding the Water God.

Now, when he schemes against a third-generation Dao Sect disciple, at most it would only attract pursuit from Perfected Yu Ding. If he acted discreetly, there wouldn't be any major issues.

The scenery today is quite good.

Xubodhi stepped out of his hidden cave dwelling. He moved through the seawater as if on dry land, strolling with his hands behind his back, finding amusement in teasing the swimming fish.

The longer one cultivates, the more one understands how difficult boredom can be to endure.

Therefore, Xubodhi usually paid great attention to cultivating his temperament and developing hobbies. Seeing the rays of the sun star piercing the seabed at this moment, the light blue seawater, and the fish playing among the coral...

His poetic inspiration surged, and he recited:

"Bright sunny skies and beautiful scenery abound; red corals and green grasses are found."

Feeling pleased with his verse, he stroked his beard and chuckled softly. His figure ascended towards the surface of the sea to get some fresh air.

Strolling along the clear blue waters, beneath the blue sky, and on the white sandy beach, Xubodhi's thoughts were somewhat complex.

The internal struggles within the sect had recently been suppressed. Previously, it had reached the point where they were petitioning their two teachers to establish a Senior Disciple Brother. But now, with Maitreya's return, the chaos had temporarily subsided.

Xubodhi didn't actually want to contend for these things, but being within the sect, some matters were unavoidable.

For instance, Ksitigarbha, who had gained too much prominence and was too favored by their teachers, was on the verge of becoming the Western Sect's Senior Disciple Brother...

Fortunately, the Grand White Star Lord, who was still the Water God at the time, employed brilliant tactics, directly declaring to the outside world:

"Ksitigarbha, my brother."

This fully exploited their teachers' suspicions and gave the fellow sectmates a pretext to make trouble.

Later, Ksitigarbha's desperate struggle before the Tower of Reincarnation was actually somewhat tragic. He himself had considered helping him at the time, but ultimately decided to remain silent.

Helping him actually offered no benefit. As long as the Western Sect had its two teachers, it wouldn't fail. The only difference would be in its reputation and prestige.

Like now, the Western Sect's prestige has greatly diminished, and they dare not express their anger towards the Grand White Star Lord, who smashed their mountain gate. They've only suffered a loss of face; they are still fundamentally safe.

"Sigh..."

"What direction will this Investiture of Gods calamity take, and how much will it affect them?"

Xubodhi gazed out at the sea, his Dao heart gently stirring.

Recalling years ago, when he first entered Spirit Mountain, filled with reverence for his two teachers and yearning for the dream of immortality.

Later, when he truly attained immortality, his mindset underwent a subtle change.

He remembered that, in the beginning, what he truly thought about was bringing great prosperity to the West and alleviating the worries and difficulties of his two teachers...

From when did such thoughts begin to strike even him as somewhat ridiculous? What exactly was this 'great prosperity'? Was it merely the flourishing of living beings?

"Sigh."

Xubodhi sighed again, completely unaware of the situation behind him.

A fissure silently split open in the cosmos. Beneath Xubodhi's feet, two phantom figures were quietly approaching, reaching within a hundred *zhang* radius of Xubodhi. The Yin and Yang energies around them quietly dispersed.

Just then, Xubodhi felt a faint fluctuation appear behind him. He turned around, and was startled to see a cosmic fissure appear behind him.

But he had no time to react...

With a soft thud, Xubodhi looked down in dismay at his own chest. A treasured sword had pierced straight through, its blade pressing directly against the neck of his primordial spirit. Then, a pure surge of primordial spirit energy erupted. Xubodhi, utterly unable to fight back at this moment, could only let his primordial spirit be directly overwhelmed and knocked unconscious by this powerful yet unfamiliar primordial spirit force!

Only then did two figures appear behind Xubodhi. Their specific appearances were unclear. One held the sword piercing Xubodhi's Dao body, while the other, with sword-fingers, pointed at Xubodhi's back.

They simultaneously raised their legs and kicked, swiftly kicking Xubodhi into the cosmic fissure. Their figures flashed into it, disappearing concurrently with the cosmic fissure.

Along with this, a hundred *li* away, the concealing illusion formation quietly dissipated.

After approximately two breaths, the sky seemed to gain a pair of gigantic eyes, staring intently at the beach.

Two saintly divine senses instantly swept across a hundred thousand *li* radius. The two old Daoists deep within Spirit Mountain immediately frowned.

They broke through the obstruction of karmic destiny and immediately used the power of the Heavenly Dao to calculate Xubodhi's whereabouts. But after calculating for a while, their brows only furrowed deeper.

It wasn't that they had discovered a powerful enemy they couldn't deal with, or that their calculations had been blocked. Instead...

This time, the Heavenly Dao did not respond.