Chapter 598: Pingbei Demon, Steady and Deceptive Spirit Mountain

“Hey, a real battle has broken out in the Northern Continent!”

“Such massive spiritual power fluctuations, and you’re only just realizing it now? What were you doing before, just cooped up meditating on the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra?”

“Fellow Daoist, if you slander me again, I’ll strike you!”

On Kunlun Mountain, where a group of old Daoists usually gathered for tea, several figures stood in the air, gazing towards the northeast. There, a fiery cloud appeared in the daytime, accompanied by rumbling thunder and howling winds, faintly audible even from their distant location.

An old Daoist asked, “Is the Heavenly Court serious this time? It’s not just a show of deterrence; are they truly going to war with the demon race?”

“Perhaps the demon race went too far previously, causing trouble everywhere while Star Lord Taibai was absent from the world. This move by the Heavenly Court is to sweep away its previous decline. Targeting the demon race now, to ‘strike the mountain and shake the tiger,’ can be considered a wise decision.”

“Precisely, precisely.”

“That makes sense.”

As the old Daoists spoke, a streak of light shot from the battlefield, transforming into the figure of an old Daoist. This Daoist looked visibly shaken. He cupped his hands to the unofficial Qi Refiners, then quickly descended to a cool pavilion below to drink tea and calm his nerves.

The group of old Daoists, who were watching for news, immediately rushed over. “What did you find out?”

The newly returned Daoist took a sip of tea and sighed, “It’s horrific, utterly horrific!”

“How so? Don’t keep us in suspense, Daoist!”

“I’ve just returned from the Northern Continent border, and I witnessed it with my own eyes! Swathes of demon soldiers were cut down by Heavenly Soldiers. For thousands of miles around, divine abilities and magic treasures filled the air, and the immortal light was so dense that spiritual senses couldn’t even extend. I heard battles are happening in other places too; the Heavenly Court has mobilized millions of Heavenly Soldiers this time, and even more!”

“The Heavenly Court has that many immortal soldiers?”

“They’re conjuring soldiers from beans, of course. I can smell the burnt bean powder even from here.”

“I wonder if the demon race will suffer crippling losses this time. The Heavenly Court still lacks sufficient reserves right now; it’s estimated that they’ll only end up in a mutually destructive fight with the demon race.”

“You can’t say that. Star Lord Taibai may not always win, but he never loses.”

The newly returned Daoist slumped into a chair, slowly exhaled, and stated with certainty: “No, this absolutely won’t be a mutually destructive fight. The Heavenly Court intends to uproot the Northern Continent’s demon race. Star Lord Taibai is being ruthless this time; the Heavenly Court has, without anyone realizing, accumulated so many immortal cultivators. You didn’t see it, but the demon soldiers scattered upon impact, and the Heavenly Soldiers pursued from all directions. Heavenly lightning struck incessantly, Heavenly fire burned without end, and there were battle formations I’d never seen before, where hundreds of True Immortals, working together, were actually able to contend with Golden Immortal great demons! Those ferocious old demons were either besieged or personally slain by Taibai Jinxing. The two sides weren’t on the same level at all! The Heavenly Court is truly willing to shed blood this time!”

Upon hearing this, the old Daoists gasped, exchanged glances, and began to analyze what impact the demon race’s heavy losses would have on the Great World of the Primordial Era. They were like old village elders gossiping.

The old Daoists chatted animatedly for half a day when they saw a white cloud drift by, and True Immortal Du’e, who seemed to be thriving lately, arrived on his cloud. The True Immortal wore an elegant grey Daoist robe of gilded silk adorned with auspicious cranes. In his hand, he held a bronze mirror, gazing into it from various angles, constantly murmuring “Oh,” “Ah,” and “Wow,” making the other Daoists eager with curiosity.

Just as the old Daoists were about to ask what the bronze mirror was, True Immortal Du’e mumbled, “Ah? Is that Empress Houtu’s incarnation? To think the legendary Seven Emotions Incarnation possesses such power!”

Immediately, pairs of eyes gathered closer, and some old Daoists even used the Flying Eye Technique, their eyeballs bouncing behind True Immortal Du’e to peer into the bronze mirror. What was displayed in the mirror was indeed the scene of the Heavenly Court-Demon War in the Northern Continent!

A swarm of old Daoists rushed forward. True Immortal Du’e smiled and shook his head, then descended from the cloud with the bronze mirror, sitting in the center, leisurely showing off his first-hand ‘intelligence.’

Inside the bronze mirror, a young woman with a nearly perfect face, figure, and temperament was walking through the battlefield, stepping on lotus flowers. Each time her foot touched a multicolored lotus, shallow ripples spread out, like spring rain nourishing silently or autumn wind reluctant to pick fallen leaves. Within a hundred miles of her, there were only Dao Soldiers released by the Heavenly Soldiers, and large numbers of demon soldiers with complex expressions. The demon soldiers either cried or laughed, or in their madness, perished with their companions, or surrendered in sorrow and despair, offering their necks to the blade.

Suddenly, an old demon burst from the ground, transforming into a golden-haired giant elephant, its eyes filled with savage light, charging ferociously towards the subtly unsettlingly perfect young woman. The young woman didn’t even turn her head. Her toe tapped the ground slightly harder, and a faint grey ripple passed through. The giant elephant halted, stunned, in mid-air. The giant elephant looked up at the sky, then down at the earth, witnessing the tragic state of the demon race everywhere, realizing its own clan was doomed, and the last gleam of the Demon Court could no longer shine upon the Primordial World. It transformed into human form, looked at its own rough hands, then, without warning, mustered all its strength and struck its own head with a palm, its body slowly falling from the sky...

“What a pity,” the young woman sighed softly, continuing her stroll through the battlefield, maintaining the balance of her Seven Emotions power. Wherever she passed, Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals gave way, leaving only Dao Soldiers to battle the demons, with the force of a whirlwind scattering lingering clouds.

On Kunlun Mountain, the old Daoists who witnessed this scene through the bronze mirror were collectively astonished, not understanding what kind of technique this was. Fortunately, a certain common colloquial exclamation had not yet permeated the Primordial World; otherwise, the Immortal Pavilion banquet hall would surely have been buzzing with boisterous exclamations.

True Immortal Du’e exclaimed, “The power of all living beings’ Seven Emotions is truly a supreme Great Dao; how marvelous!” As he spoke, he lightly tapped his finger... bringing up a scrolling ‘list’ in the bronze mirror. He clicked on the most-watched entry, seeing a junior general charging through the demon gods.

In fact, it wasn’t just True Immortal Du’e’s bronze mirror that showed this. In major towns across Central Divine Continent, the large bronze mirrors previously set up by the Heavenly Court were broadcasting the same scenes of the Heavenly Court’s war to eradicate the demon race.

Those scenes...

The mysterious and chilling incarnation of Houtu’s Seven Emotions, wherever her figure passed, living beings lost control.

The valiant and ruthless ancient battle Witches seemed to be reenacting the brutality of the ancient Witch-Demon War.

The fearless three-eyed Heavenly God, wielding his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd, charged everywhere. Whenever a great demon rushed towards the Heavenly Soldier formation, his swift figure would appear the next instant.

And then there were the Heavenly Court’s battle formations, advancing and retreating with precision, and ever-changing, which could be considered an ‘innovation’ that rewrote the very concept of combat in the Primordial Era. These diverse and exceptionally powerful battle formations were displayed before the Qi Refiners, making many who thought the Heavenly Court lacked masters re-evaluate its strength.

Of course, the most attention-grabbing figure was Star Lord Taibai. Although he appeared quite disheveled when he, with his kind and benevolent face, was besieged by dozens of demon masters at the Northern Continent border, his heroic posture as he ripped his Daoist robe and swept through thousands of troops with his Small God-Slaying Spear was indeed quite dashing. More accurately, old but dashing.

While Li Changshou also wished to sit on a cloud and watch the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals charge, his side had very few masters. For safety, he personally entered the fray... and attracted the attention of most of the opposing masters.

The battle in the Northern Continent lasted three days and three nights. Originally, the eternally dark Northern Continent saw parts of its sky turn azure after the fighting. The continuous mountains at the Northern Continent border, beyond the boundless miasma, were dyed blood-red. Countless immortal beans’ ashes mixed with demon blood, forming viscous sludge. The most brutal sight was a few simple-minded Witches drooling at the sludge, having a strong urge to try it...

The demon race gathered in the Northern Continent was completely wiped out. The Eight Divisions of Heavenly Soldiers suffered about fifteen to sixteen percent casualties, and dozens of Heavenly Generals perished. As the chilling winds blew, the Underworld soldiers of the Netherworld took away all the remaining souls of the fallen Heavenly Soldiers and Generals. The demon souls were annihilated on the spot, to ease the workload of the Underworld, while the Heavenly Soldier souls, each bearing merit, ascended onto the ‘priority reincarnation channel for enhanced fortune,’ ensuring profound blessings, along with complimentary lifetime membership to the Matchmaker’s Temple and perpetual protection from the Temple of Abundant Wealth, among other premium services. The Heavenly Court would naturally not mistreat those who had shed blood for it.

After the battle, the Northern Continent was a scene of utter desolation. The Heavenly Court’s forces returned to their camps, forming ranks in the sky to return to the North, West, and Central Heavenly Gates, with a Jade Pool celebration banquet to follow.

Li Changshou, however, was not in a hurry to return. With his hands clasped behind his back, his aged, disguised form appeared on one hilltop after another, strolling across the battlefield. The Heavenly Court’s righteous gods, witnessing this, were filled with emotion and followed him in the air, not rushing back to claim their merits.

A divine immortal sighed, “This is Star Lord Taibai. When ordering the attack, he was decisive and efficient, without hesitation; yet after the battle, he couldn’t control the compassion in his heart, feeling the pain of all beings’ passing.” All the righteous gods nodded in approval, their praises for Li Changshou unending.

Finally, the Seven Emotions Incarnation flew from afar, her long dress unsullied by dust, her black hair flowing in the wind. Her face, however, bore a touch of sorrow. Upon seeing Li Changshou, she sighed softly, “They were too tragic.”

On the clouds above, the divine immortals were overcome with sorrow, and several righteous gods with unstable dispositions couldn’t help but shed tears.

Li Changshou smiled faintly and said calmly, “We already gave them many chances. They chose this path themselves; it’s not a matter of tragedy or lack thereof.”

At this moment, Little Sorrow was controlling the Seven Emotions Incarnation. Little Sorrow wondered, “Then why are you still walking around here?”

“To deliver the finishing blows,” Li Changshou frowned and said, “Those demon masters are very cunning. Perhaps some are feigning death to escape. Look... there’s one right ahead.” As he spoke, Li Changshou struck out with a palm, and a small hill in front instantly collapsed, directly killing an eight-headed great snake that was playing dead. “It should have strived for nine heads, but only managed eight,” Li Changshou shook his head and sighed. “The Heavenly Soldier system is still incomplete; later, we’ll need to add logistics teams to clear the battlefield. So many precious materials are being wasted like this. Although these demons don’t have much wealth, it adds up. Even a mosquito’s leg has meat on it. These Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, they haven’t experienced hardship; they don’t know how to economize!”

Little Sorrow: ...The divine immortals: ...

Li Changshou made a welcoming gesture, inviting Little Sorrow to inspect the areas with him. Little Sorrow did not refuse, and the other Seven Emotions incarnations emerged one by one to greet Li Changshou.

“Thank you all for your help this time,” Li Changshou smiled. “If not for your intervention, the Heavenly Soldiers’ casualties would have been at least thirty percent higher.”

Little Sorrow sighed, “I’m so miserable; in the end, you still treat me like a magic treasure. All that talk of being friends was a lie.”

Li Changshou didn’t respond, deliberately guiding the conversation. If he succumbed to Little Sorrow’s logic, his sadness would surely intensify exponentially.

Li Changshou said, “How have you been enjoying yourselves in the mortal world these past years? Would you like to stay in the Heavenly Court for a while?”

“Wherever we go, it’s always arranged by you,” Little Sorrow murmured softly. “They also want to explore the Three Thousand Worlds.”

“Perhaps in a few hundred years,” Li Changshou smiled. “Once the Great Tribulation disperses, no one will bother you no matter where you go. However, currently, you and Empress Houtu are not yet completely separate, and you are also within the Heavenly Dao’s sequence. If you can’t control the outburst of your Seven Emotions power, it could greatly affect the Great Tribulation’s operation. For this, I can only ask for your understanding. If you find the mortal world of the Southern Continent more interesting, you can continue to enjoy yourselves there.”

Little Sorrow pursed her lips and assented, her eyes filled with self-pity. The light in her eyes flickered slightly, then she gave a slight pout, sniffed softly, and said with crossed arms: “The Heavenly Court has too many rules, it’s boring. I’ll keep playing in the mortal world for a few more hundred years! When you have time, bring more people to visit me, and bring that flashy Daoist who likes to wear red clothes; I really miss him too! Hmm, I promise I won’t kill him!”

It was a different incarnation speaking.

Li Changshou smiled, “Indeed, one needs quick wits when chatting with a fellow Daoist. Very well, if you wish to enjoy yourselves in the mortal world, do so. If you feel anything is amiss, rush to the Eastern Sea; I’ll send a message to the Dragon King later. The Dragon race has many masters; even if they can’t suppress you, they can at least buy some time.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Let Little Sorrow come out and talk to you!” Little Wrath rolled her eyes. “Old immortals are so boring!”

Li Changshou smiled without speaking, continuing his stroll through the battlefield. Delivering finishing blows was also a task that tested one’s patience. As he walked, Li Changshou glanced at a shaded forest, a faint smile playing on his lips. He took out a jade slip and began engraving some diagrams and text.

In a corner of the forest, two masked Witches squatted on the ground, each using a palm-sized blade of grass to conceal themselves, secretly observing Li Changshou and the Seven Emotions Incarnation from behind.

“Ox-Head, should we just walk over and kneel down, moo?”

“The Ancestor’s incarnation is the Ancestor, and Star Lord is strolling with the Ancestor. Don’t disturb them; just wait, neigh!”

“These past few days of fighting have been exhilarating, but many brothers have also been wounded or died,” Ox-Head sighed. “Having been in the Underworld for so long, I’ve also developed a bit of compassion for the world, feeling that life isn’t easy for living beings. Still, these are ancient grievances; it’s good that they’re being settled.”

Horse-Face casually put a blade of grass in his mouth and chewed. He replied, “The various demon kings of the demon race either died or fled; they won’t be causing any major trouble for the next one or two millennia.”

“It’s a shame,” Ox-Head said with a hint of regret, “those few great demons, which looked like they’d taste excellent, managed to escape. Immortal demons who have lived for so long must be incredibly robust! Horse-Face, now that the demon race has been dealt with, will we not have any more opportunities to come out?”

“I think it’s good to settle down. Constantly going out isn’t proper. Didn’t your grandmother say? This world is tending towards stability, and the order brought by the Heavenly Court is gradually improving, neigh! It’s all good, neigh!”

“What are you two Marshals doing squatting here?”

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind them. Ox-Head and Horse-Face jolted up, turned around, and saw Star Lord Taibai standing right in front of them, while their Ancestor’s incarnation had already flown away on her cloud.

Ox-Head exclaimed, “The two Soul-Reaping Envoys of the Underworld respectfully greet Star Lord!” The two Witches knelt on one knee, bowing their heads in salutation.

Li Changshou smiled, making a gesture to help them up, and gently said, “The Heavenly Court has many aftermath matters for me to handle, so I won’t reminisce with you two Marshals for long. Here are eighteen secret recipes for seasonings that I concocted; you two can figure them out for yourselves. I’ll visit the Underworld another day.”

Pushing the jade slip into their hands, Li Changshou smiled and waved, his figure transforming into a wisp of green mist that dissipated with the wind, leaving Ox-Head and Horse-Face to scamper joyfully through the forest, heading in different directions towards the battlefields. Mountains and fields, all filled with ingredients!

After the demon eradication war in the Northern Continent, the Heavenly Court capitalized on the situation by stationing immortal soldiers at the Northern Continent border and began the grand ‘World-Sweeping Demon Eradication’ plan. Excluding the eastern region of East Winnowing Divine Continent, the Heavenly Court, Dragon Palace, and Underworld combined forces, and in just two months, they turned the entire Five Continents upside down. Any great demon burdened with karma, regardless of its background or origin, was immediately sent into reincarnation upon discovery. Those with deep karma were directly obliterated until their souls scattered, allowing only their true spirit to reincarnate.

However, according to Star Lord Taibai’s guiding principles, simply searching the Five Continents once was far from enough. They also conducted re-inspections, verifications, and cross-departmental clear-outs to minimize the number of escapees. Not only did Li Changshou use military force, but he also employed various other methods, dividing the different factions within the demon race, governing the ‘benevolent’ demons separately, and establishing a ‘reward for reporting’ system.

The demon race’s prestige... well, there was no prestige to speak of anymore. The demon race’s power plummeted, falling from being a second-tier major power in the Primordial Era to an insignificant force in less than half a year. Previously, the united demon race in the Northern Continent could have launched a raid on the northern part of Central Divine Continent, causing much trouble. But now, just a few Immortal Sects from Central Divine Continent could team up and challenge the remaining main forces of the demon race. The Witch race and the demon race once again achieved a subtle balance.

These were the methods others could see Li Changshou using. In the shadows, Li Changshou began to strongly promote the concept of ‘spirits,’ using the terms ‘essence,’ ‘spirit,’ and ‘monstrous’ to differentiate and deconstruct the general concept of ‘demon.’ Ensuring that all transformed beings do not identify themselves as demons was the fundamental strategy for controlling the demon race’s power. This was also Li Changshou’s Dao.

Five months passed. The Five Continents remained sealed, and the Three Realms were no longer as panicked as they initially were. Just as all parties thought the Heavenly Court would gradually ease its efforts, the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Soldiers were dispatched again, this time heading straight for Western Ox-Hezhou, thoroughly patrolling it from sky to ground. After the demon eradication, the Heavenly Court’s spearhead was now directly aimed at Spirit Mountain.

A few days later, Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals surrounded Spirit Mountain from a distance, but merely encircled it, without making any further moves. At this time, those on Spirit Mountain were also a little nervous. The Heavenly Court’s previous sealing of the Five Continents was too swift, giving them no time to react. Large numbers of Primordial ferocious beasts and ancient ferocious demons who had submitted to Spirit Mountain could not escape in time. Over the past six months, Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals had been repeatedly searching for karmic beings, forcing these ferocious beasts and demons to hide near Spirit Mountain. And in recent days, the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals seemed to be patrolling randomly, but they had actually sealed off all routes leading out of Western Ox-Hezhou. From underground to high in the sky, the Heavenly Soldiers left no corner unchecked.

However, the old Daoists of Spirit Mountain largely still had some confidence. Spirit Mountain was a Saint’s Daoist temple, and the two Saints were cultivating within it. Even if the Jade Emperor himself came, he could not directly search this place. The incident with Yang Jian causing trouble earlier was purely coincidental; the Heavenly Court had no other Yang Jian to use.

But what the old Daoists of Spirit Mountain didn’t know was that on the third day of the Heavenly Soldiers’ encirclement of Spirit Mountain, a golden light entered the pass from the Eastern Sea’s Cape of Heaven and shot towards the Heavenly Court!

In Taibai Palace, Li Changshou, who was meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. A Heavenly General reported that Marshal Golden Wing had entered the Eastern Heavenly Gate, but Li Changshou’s immortal sense had already locked onto what was in Golden Wing’s sleeve. There, three projection orbs were sealed by immortal power, emitting faint glows.

‘I wonder how well Senior Brother’s acting was.’

Li Changshou meticulously considered the subsequent arrangements, unconsciously picturing Grand Master Xuandu and Kong Xuan busy around the Kunpeng vessel. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and chuckle softly.

Meanwhile, at the foot of Spirit Mountain, in a hidden cave dwelling, Daoist Wen Jing stood at the entrance, frowning through several layers of restrictions at the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals on the clouds and below.

‘Lord Water God instructed me to remain hidden until now. Could it be for this very day?’