Chapter 577: The Dao Ancestor's Doubt

"Are these the powerhouse elders of the human race from earlier, the ones with explosive combat power?"

Bian Zhuang stood outside the pavilion, his hands pressed tightly against his outer thighs, head held high, chest out, and a slight bow. He maintained a perfectly poised tension, giving off the impression of... the chief instructor of the Heavenly Court's service industry.

Professionalism was ingrained in his bones.

In Bian Zhuang's eyes at this moment, the four figures seated in the pavilion were not merely individuals.

They were four monumental figures in the history of the Primordial Human Race!

Among the Three Sovereigns, Suiren-shi, though not present, was held in the highest esteem. Suiren carved out a world for the human race, leading them through their darkest age. Even before acquiring cultivation power, he taught weak mortals how to drill for fire and engaged in battles of wits and courage against the 'demons of the heavens' and 'witches of the earth' of that era, ultimately emerging as the victor in ancient times.

Suiren-shi's influence on the human race was immensely profound; the spirit of defiance, of contending with Heaven and struggling against Earth, was etched into humanity's bloodline.

In ancient times, the definition of justice rested with the demon race.

After a long period, the human race multiplied and thrived, leading to the differentiation between cultivators and mortals.

Fuxi-shi was born in response to the era's needs, being the reincarnated form of the ancient great power Fuxi. After ascending to the Human Emperor's throne, he imparted numerology, established divination and sacrificial rituals, and standardized reforms and measurements, making outstanding contributions to humanity's comprehensive enlightenment.

Emperor Xuanyuan, one of the Five Emperors, inherited the aspirations of the Three Sovereigns and comprehensively educated the human race. He battled Chiyou and unified immortals and mortals, marking the most glorious era for the ancient human race, from which point immortals and mortals began to separate.

Emperor Dayu tamed the Great Flood and established the imperial system, marking the culmination of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' era, which spanned the entire period of humanity's rise.

Looking at Grand White Venus, although he was not a Human Emperor, he represented the highest authority wielded by humanity in the current era of the Heavenly Court's rule over the Three Realms...

As the four great figures sat discussing the Dao in the pavilion, Bian Zhuang naturally barely dared to breathe.

However, among these four, the one Bian Zhuang most admired was, of course...

Emperor Xuanyuan, the Yellow Emperor—the ultimate male role model for the Primordial Human Race, no explanation needed!

Looking from this place towards the distance, the sprawling palaces amidst the clouds, the ethereal immortal maidens and goddesses visible in the distance—all were part of the vast domain established by Emperor Xuanyuan!

*Cough*, of course, the one Bian Zhuang held in highest reverence was his own patron, Li Changshou, a disciple of the Grand Pure One.

Fuxi-shi had a slender face and a tall, thin figure, exuding an aura of immortality with profound Daoist charm. He didn't possess much imperial majesty, appearing more like a benevolent elder.

Emperor Xuanyuan had the face of a middle-aged man, dressed in a light yellow ornate robe, with a golden mystical sword at his waist. He always wore a faint smile, his countenance upright and heroic, subtly emanating a kingly aura and dazzling personal charisma.

Emperor Dayu appeared the most unpretentious. As the youngest retired Human Emperor in Huoyun Cave, he notably exuded a humble and down-to-earth nature.

The Heavenly Demon from beyond the heavens was currently beside Bian Zhuang. Though still unconscious, it was no longer weeping.

At this moment, Li Changshou had not yet mentioned the unique aspects of Mei Wen-hua. He was simply pondering ways to deal with Kunpeng alongside the three retired Human Emperors.

Emperor Xuanyuan frowned, Emperor Dayu pondered, and Fuxi-shi looked at the tortoise shell before him, unable to help but frown and stroke his beard, uttering a single word:

"Difficult."

Emperor Xuanyuan sighed, "Kunpeng is incredibly cunning. In my previous life, I was subjected to his schemes. He acts without any bottom line or principles, doing whatever benefits himself and fleeing at the slightest disadvantage. To lure him into a trap, there is likely only one thing in this world."

Li Changshou calmly smiled, "Could it be a chance to become a Saint?"

The Yellow Emperor couldn't help but chuckle slightly, "As expected of Star Lord Taibai, you grasp it immediately."

"You flatter me, Senior, you flatter me."

Fuxi-shi said, "I also suffered tribulation in my previous life due to Kunpeng's schemes, so we have some enmity. I also worked with him. Kunpeng's vigilance far exceeds what you might imagine. Though his character is deplorable, he can be considered a formidable figure, quite difficult to deal with."

Emperor Dayu mused for a few moments...

It seemed he was the least experienced present, having no particular grievances with Kunpeng. He should have been at home, not in the pavilion. If Senior Shennong were here instead, they could have held a Kunpeng criticism session.

Li Changshou asked, "Seniors, do you know of any weaknesses Kunpeng might have? Or anything he particularly cares about?"

Fuxi shook his head and sighed, "He hides in the Chaos Sea, and possesses extreme speed. I cannot even divine his whereabouts."

Emperor Xuanyuan added, "Aside from being overly sinister and cunning, which makes him repulsive, Kunpeng has no real weaknesses. Oh, by the way, how did Star Lord come to be at odds with Kunpeng?"

Li Changshou sighed slightly and recounted part of the reason. He only stated that Kunpeng intended for him to meet in the Chaos Sea, seemingly plotting something, without explaining that Kunpeng's 'fishhook' was a relic of his fellow countryman, Senior Lang. Some origins are best not revealed to too many people, to avoid trouble.

Fuxi placed several ancient human coins into a tortoise shell, performed another divination, then gestured for them to continue chatting while he sat with closed eyes, counting on his fingers, as if trying to glimpse the heavenly secrets of chaos.

When Li Changshou mentioned that he had once killed Kunpeng's old shedding, and that the shedding was not powerful, merely an empty shell;

And then mentioned that when he saw Kunpeng in Xuandu City earlier, Kunpeng exuded strong pressure and only suffered a slight disadvantage when directly confronting the Grandmaster.

Emperor Xuanyuan curled his lip and cursed, "That sinister and cunning bastard's favorite thing to do is to devour the essence of living beings."

—Emperor Xuanyuan was the reincarnated remnant soul of the Great Black Tortoise of Beizhou;

Back then, when the Beizhou Black Tortoise had its four great legs severed by a Saint to be refined into celestial pillars, Kunpeng secretly ambushed the immobile 'old neighbor,' devouring the Black Tortoise's essence and greatly increasing his power. At least fifty percent of the Black Tortoise's lingering resentment, which transformed into the unmoving miasma over Beizhou, originated from Kunpeng.

Li Changshou mused for a while, then asked, "Could it be that Kunpeng can now also devour chaotic beings to enhance his strength?"

"It seems so," Emperor Dayu said solemnly, "Why not ask the Saints to take action and eradicate Kunpeng?"

However, the Yellow Emperor said:

"Kunpeng is within the Chaos Sea. As long as he is outside the range influenced by the Heavenly Dao's power, even Saints cannot find his trace. Furthermore, Kunpeng is now mixed with those primordial fiend gods, and his strength is not to be underestimated. Actually, Star Lord, I do have an idea."

Li Changshou bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, Senior."

"Although the Dao laws in chaos are disordered and order is unclear, there is still a Grand Dao to follow," Emperor Xuanyuan crossed his arms. "I once read an ancient text by a primordial innate being, which mentioned methods for setting up formations in the Chaos Sea. If we could set up a stable grand formation in the Chaos Sea, dealing with Kunpeng would be much simpler."

Li Changshou said, "Setting up a formation in the Chaos Sea capable of trapping Kunpeng would require an unknown amount of rare treasures, and it would be even more difficult to gather fragmented Dao laws..."

Fuxi-shi, who had been constantly calculating with his fingers, stopped his movements, opened his eyes, and smiled:

"Why not create a 'chance to become a Saint'?"

Emperor Dayu asked, puzzled, "What does that mean?"

Just as Fuxi was about to answer, a flash of understanding crossed his eyes, and he couldn't help but stroke his beard and chuckle softly, looking at Li Changshou.

"Why don't you, Star Lord, explain it? You came to Huoyun Cave today, probably already having a plan in mind. However, you chose to give us old folks some face by not directly presenting it, instead subtly guiding us to propose such a scheme. Is that so, Star Lord Taibai? Hehehe."

Li Changshou rose and bowed, saying seriously, "I apologize for my presumption, Senior, you saw right through my little scheme."

Emperor Xuanyuan and Emperor Dayu exchanged glances. Both were experienced Human Emperors. Although they hadn't fully grasped the key at this moment, they almost simultaneously showed expressions of narrowed eyes and faint smiles.

They understood, yet didn't quite understand; they didn't understand, yet understood. Their Human Emperor instincts hadn't faded.

To the side, Tu Shan-shi and two maidservants arrived on clouds. Emperor Dayu quickly stood up and went out to greet them, personally serving the tea his wife had brought to each guest. Afterwards, Tu Shan-shi gracefully bowed and then excused herself, giving Emperor Dayu full respect in front of outsiders. Though she wore no ornate robes, she exuded elegance, and though she wore no makeup, she was still as exquisitely beautiful as ever; after all, she was the wife of a Human Emperor, who had once overshadowed an entire era of human women.

Emperor Dayu then asked, "What exactly are Senior Fuxi and Chang Geng plotting?"

Fuxi slowly said, "Allow me to make a simple deduction... Star Lord Taibai."

"Senior can just call me Chang Geng," Li Changshou softly interjected.

"Good, Chang Geng."

Fuxi organized his thoughts and slowly began, "You came to Huoyun Cave seeking something. This thing is not abundant in this world, but it is easiest to find here in Huoyun Cave compared to other places. However, this item has already been integrated into our beings, assimilated into the Heavenly Dao, so it is essentially just a mark and difficult to extract for your use... Let me think again. Are you perhaps trying to create a false rumor, and then have us elders spread the word to corroborate it?"

"Precisely."

Li Changshou smiled, "My little scheme, Senior, you've guessed it all."

Emperor Dayu, beside him, suddenly realized, "So you're talking about the Grandmist Purple Qi."

Emperor Xuanyuan continued to maintain his narrowed-eyes, smiling expression.

Secretly, Li Changshou made a quick comparison and immediately realized that Fuxi-shi's method was slightly more brilliant than his own previous idea.

He'd use it. This was the benefit of taking things slow!

Where did the Grandmist Purple Qi of the retired Human Emperors in Huoyun Cave come from?

In ancient times, at the end of Dao Ancestor Hongjun's lectures in Zixiao Palace, the good-natured Hong Yun also acquired a wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi. However, he was ambushed and killed by Kunpeng right after leaving Zixiao Palace, and that wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi was retrieved by Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Later, when the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors reincarnated, the Dao Ancestor divided this wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi into eight parts, as a retirement pension for leading the great flourishing of the human race, distributing it among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Li Changshou came to Huoyun Cave to consult the Human Emperors about luring Kunpeng, specifically for this Grandmist Purple Qi. He didn't need all eight Human Emperors' Grandmist Purple Qi. Upon hearing Fuxi-shi's explanation, he understood that the essence of Grandmist Purple Qi was a 'Heavenly Dao permit,' and thus couldn't be extracted and reused.

Li Changshou tidied his thoughts and smiled:

"We can indeed make something of this. For example, instead of saying that wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi was divided into eight parts back then, we could say it was divided into nine, with one wisp still residing in Zixiao Palace. This wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi shares the same origin as the Grandmist Purple Qi used by the seniors in Huoyun Cave. Therefore, before its appearance, unusual phenomena frequently occur in Huoyun Cave, startling the eight seniors. This news can then be discreetly spread by Senior Xuanyuan's household, ensuring everything is seamless. The louder the preliminary commotion, the better, ideally enough to cause Heavenly Dao tremors—my efforts with His Majesty the Jade Emperor can contribute to this. But then, we must swiftly suppress these phenomena, which will make it more believable."

"Precisely," Fuxi-shi chuckled a few times. "I previously noticed that the Heavenly Court is incredibly fast at spreading news. It is likely that since Kunpeng can control the Heavenly Demon race, he must have planted spies throughout the Primordial World. To deceive Kunpeng and make him take the bait, we must deceive all beings in the Three Realms. The fewer who know the truth of the matter, the better."

Emperor Xuanyuan said warmly, "I can first have them spread the news, then immediately summon my thirteen consorts to gather everyone for a meeting, cutting off their contact with their respective maternal families before the plan outside is executed."

Li Changshou bowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Senior."

"It's a small matter, a small matter," Emperor Xuanyuan waved his hand, his smile perfectly calm. This is what it means to be a grand victor in the Primordial Era.

Currently, Li Changshou and Fuxi-shi, with just a few words, laid out a grand scheme targeting Kunpeng. The plan sounded easy, but to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control and to avoid bloodshed among the beings of the Primordial World, thorough preparatory work was necessary.

It was evident that retired life in Huoyun Cave was comfortable but boring. Fuxi-shi, his conversational floodgates opened and his strategic desires piqued, effortlessly conjured up one brilliant scheme after another, earning Li Changshou's deep admiration. Truly worthy of being an ancient great power and an ancient Human Emperor.

They discussed for half a day in the pavilion, and a general strategy emerged. The fishing rod and hook for Kunpeng were ready; all that was left was the fishing line to secure him. If the last wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi, the last chance for sainthood, were to appear in the Primordial World and attempt to escape beyond the heavens, Xuandu City could immediately become a massive vortex. This would be a tremendous temptation for Kunpeng. As long as they could deceive Kunpeng in the initial stages, he would likely take the bait.

Naturally, Li Changshou focused more on anticipating various possible scenarios and observing what transpired during the operation, correlating events to deduce the opponent's movements. He aimed to seize opportunities at every turn.

Fuxi sighed, "We cannot leave the bounds of Heaven and Earth freely, so we cannot participate in the ambush in Xuandu City."

Li Changshou replied, "Currently, the Daoist sects are teeming with experts. As long as Kunpeng appears and doesn't unleash his extreme speed immediately, there's a ninety percent chance of keeping him here."

"Kunpeng's extreme speed is difficult to counter," Emperor Xuanyuan said. "We must prepare for this in advance, otherwise, no matter how meticulous our prior arrangements, if we show our fangs, he'll just turn and flee."

"This matter still needs further discussion," Li Changshou did not speak definitively, nor did he boast about his Balance Dao. He preferred to let the seniors brainstorm, as they might come up with even better ideas. As the saying goes, "An elder in the family is like a treasure"; Huoyun Cave was truly a treasure trove.

Fuxi-shi and Li Changshou discussed various schemes, and a feeling of mutual appreciation arose between them. When Li Changshou made friends, he also considered their background, specifically whether they would cause trouble in the future. These human race sages in Huoyun Cave were no simple characters; they either possessed outstanding charisma and a broad strategic vision, or their calculations, divinations, and strategies were astonishing. Building good relationships with them was beneficial and harmless.

Unbeknownst to them, they had talked from star-filled night until noon. Li Changshou and Fuxi-shi had outlined the general framework and some details, with the subsequent arrangements left to Li Changshou.

Li Changshou then changed the subject and inquired about Suiren-shi's condition. The expressions of the three Emperors immediately became more serious.

"It's not optimistic," Emperor Xuanyuan sighed. "Senior Suiren would never be taken advantage of by demonic energy; his mind is incredibly resilient. Even when corrupted by demonic energy, he maintains his sacred nature and manages to suppress it every time. However, each suppression depletes Senior Suiren's essence. If this continues, he might not even achieve true immortality."

Emperor Dayu added, "And each time is incredibly painful."

Li Changshou frowned deeply at this news; the situation seemed even more severe than he had imagined. He recalled his first visit to Huoyun Cave years ago. At that time, the Heavenly Court was not yet prominent, and his own reputation was far from what it is today. Although the Emperors received him warmly, when he mentioned Senior Suiren-shi, Emperor Dayu had remained tight-lipped, advising him not to inquire further. This was primarily to protect Suiren-shi's reputation, preventing ignorant descendants from making careless remarks if the news spread outside. Now, he was Star Lord Taibai, and the Heavenly Court was destined for great prosperity, on the verge of actually governing the Three Realms. The Emperors finally revealed Senior Suiren-shi's condition. In essence, Li Changshou now had the qualification to know this.

"My visit to Huoyun Cave today serves three purposes: first, to pay my respects to all seniors; second, to seek advice on the matter of Kunpeng; and third, to address the situation of Senior Suiren-shi. Bian Zhuang, bring that Heavenly Demon here."

"Yes," Bian Zhuang replied, leading the bubble containing Mei Wen-hua into the pavilion. He glanced at Emperor Xuanyuan with excitement, then lowered his head, bowed, and swiftly returned to his original position.

Fuxi frowned and asked, "You said this is... a Heavenly Demon?"

"Precisely," Li Changshou slowly nodded. He pulled out his "Heavenly Demon Research Notes" from his sleeve, handed it to the three seniors for their perusal, then stood beside the sleeping Mei Wen-hua and began to slowly narrate Mei Wen-hua's origin.

When Li Changshou explained that he had a flash of inspiration, using the Dao Heart Seed Demon method in reverse—planting a demon in the demon's heart—and unexpectedly completely reversed the Dao of this Heavenly Demon...

The expressions of the three retired Human Emperors immediately became wonderfully varied.

Emperor Dayu laughed and scolded, "When others see a Heavenly Demon, they want to stay as far away as possible, yet you approached it and even planted a demon in its heart!"

Emperor Xuanyuan observed Mei Wen-hua for a while, shaking his head repeatedly, "Unfathomable, truly astonishing."

Fuxi set down the bamboo slips in his hand and gave a wry smile:

"Let's just talk about that ninth wisp of Grandmist Purple Qi instead. Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older; such an extraordinary person as you has appeared in this world! A true stroke of creation, a great stroke of creation."

Li Changshou felt a little embarrassed by the praise. In truth, it was a misunderstanding; he had only intended to break the Heavenly Demon's mental defenses and extract reliable information. For him, the pioneer of stability, to believe something, certain conditions had to be met; he couldn't just casually analyze five or six layers and then believe it. This led to Mei Wen-hua's reverse demonization.

"I wished to ask," Li Changshou smiled, "if by leveraging the power of this Heavenly Demon, it might be possible to help Senior Suiren-shi alleviate his demonic energy affliction."

The Yellow Emperor smiled, "I do think there's some opportunity here."

Fuxi-shi said, "No rush, allow me to invite our fellow Daoists to discuss this together."

The others agreed, and went their separate ways to invite the other secluded Emperors to the pavilion; this was also a major event for Huoyun Cave. Li Changshou sat in the pavilion quietly sipping tea, then closed his eyes in contemplation, swiftly organizing the newly formed plan in his main body on Xiaoqiong Peak.

At the same time, above the nine heavens, beyond the boundaries of Heaven and Earth, within Zixiao Palace.

In the bamboo grove Li Changshou had once visited, a mysterious illusion between reality and void, Dao Ancestor Hongjun sat in his thatched hut, frowning as he gazed at the square table before him. On the table was a round disc, and the clear image displayed within the disc was precisely the scene inside Huoyun Cave. Ultra-clear transmission, a dedicated Heavenly Dao line!

At this moment, the Dao Ancestor also mused for a few moments, opening his left hand. A wisp of purple and green light intertwined and gently swirled in his palm.

"Did that fellow just guess randomly?"

Not necessarily, this junior disciple might have already glimpsed something...

"How interesting."