Chapter 602: This Time For Sure

"After this, it's best not to have any public interactions with Wen Jing." Li Changshou mused this inwardly, standing calmly on a white cloud before the Spirit Mountain's gate, his thoughts swirling.

Large numbers of Heavenly Soldiers meticulously searched back and forth throughout Spirit Mountain.

Fortunately, only a few fierce beasts and demon beasts were found inside the Spirit Mountain gate. Had a chaotic battle truly erupted there, with rolling heavenly thunder and surging earthly fires…

The Western Sect would likely need extensive reconstruction again.

His immortal consciousness swept over the area around Spirit Mountain, revealing that 236 fierce beasts and demon beasts had been captured by the Heavenly Soldiers. Most of them were heavily injured by the Heavenly Punishment and no longer posed a threat.

Some were familiar faces, having previously participated in the battle at the East Sea Eye.

Perhaps due to their own despair, or perhaps due to Spirit Mountain's command, they all tried to fight to the death but failed to organize effective resistance.

Even so, tens of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers were killed or injured, with fatalities outnumbering injuries.

All the Heavenly Court generals present today sustained some injuries.

There was no way around it; the Heavenly Soldiers themselves were too weak. The demon beasts and fierce beasts launched intentional sneak attacks, and even with the protection of the Way of Heaven, it was difficult to survive a surprise attack.

The situation that unfolded at Spirit Mountain today would inevitably spread.

After all, they had been broadcasting live via bronze mirrors.

Of course, the Heavenly Court would still, in name, give Spirit Mountain enough respect and uphold the dignity of the Six Saints, as Li Changshou suggested.

As Li Changshou speculated on the various possibilities for future events, he made new discoveries.

The trip to Spirit Mountain, where the fierce demons were brought to justice, not only significantly weakened Spirit Mountain's power but also had a deeper, more far-reaching impact.

Large formations of Heavenly Soldiers, combined with the power of the Way of Heaven, could now steadily capture Golden Immortals. With the addition of one or two masters, they could easily restrain Grand Golden Immortals.

From today onward, the situation of the Immortal Cultivators in the Primordial World began to become delicate.

To live freely and unfettered, one could no longer act arbitrarily.

In the future, judging the Heavenly Court's strength could no longer be done simply by counting masters or powerful cultivators; the Way of Heaven could intervene at any time, adding too much uncertainty.

According to Li Changshou's calculations, at least a hundred fierce beasts and demon beasts were still hidden in the secret realm beneath Spirit Mountain.

But after this battle, Spirit Mountain would either abandon them or restrain them; they could no longer be utilized.

The strategic objective was perfectly achieved.

"Teacher!"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng flew from afar, clasped his fists in greeting to Li Changshou, and reported, "The search outside Spirit Mountain is complete; there are no escaped creatures."

"Should we search inside Spirit Mountain in the same manner?"

"That's enough for today."

Li Changshou said calmly, "Take these fierce beasts and demon beasts to the Heavenly Punishment Hall for individual interrogation. Once I report to His Majesty the Jade Emperor, they will be executed."

"At that time, all three realms must be made aware of this."

"Yes!"

Golden Peng clasped his fists, accepted the order, and turned to relay Li Changshou's command. The Heavenly Soldiers and Generals quickly withdrew from Spirit Mountain, forming hundreds of battle formations, escorting the fierce beasts back to Heaven.

In Spirit Mountain's secret sanctuary, the Saint's place of serene cultivation.

Saint Zhunti looked up slightly, a flicker of light crossing his eyes, and his left hand began to rise.

"There's no need."

A soft sigh came from the side, and the black light brewing in Zhunti's left hand immediately receded.

Saint Jieyin said, "The Way of Heaven operates; this is how it should be. You and I only need to wait quietly now."

"Very well."

Zhunti nodded slowly and added, "Senior Brother, did Li Chang Geng truly act on Teacher's decree? Didn't Teacher promise us back then, as long as..."

"Does it matter if it is or isn't?"

Jieyin's lips curved into a faint smile, as if it wasn't his Western Sect that had suffered losses today.

The Saint continued:

"If the Way of Heaven wishes a faction to prosper, it must first suffer losses and be tempered. Moreover, the time for the Western Sect's great prosperity will naturally be after this great calamity."

"What you and I need to be wary of now are Taiqing and Yuqing."

"These two fellow Daoists will not easily let us gain power."

"Very well," Daoist Zhunti said no more, closed his eyes, and meditated, a faint misty light diffusing around him.

On the cloud path, Li Changshou, traveling by cloud, slightly frowned.

Earlier, his Dao Heart's intuition had subtly rippled, as if danger was approaching; but after a period of full alert, it only made his hair stand on end, with no other anomaly occurring.

Just now, was it a Saint attempting to strike at him?

Li Changshou's lips twitched a few times.

He had been so thorough, giving the Western Sect so many ways to save face, yet the Saints, great and small, still harbored such intense killing intent…

Never mind, he would just continue to hide.

Anyway, he had done all he needed to do. For the subsequent handling of the Three Thousand Worlds, he would let Golden Peng take the lead and allow the Heavenly Court soldiers and generals to gain more experience, while he would stay behind the scenes and control the overall situation.

The coming years would be spent cultivating, sleeping, punishing Ling'e, perhaps reading the great Primordial World texts left by Senior Lang, and secretly using the Kunpeng Ark's Primordial Violet Qi to observe the Way of Heaven…

It would be secure and comfortable.

In a secluded pavilion on Three Immortals Island.

"Sister! Brother-in-law came out of Spirit Mountain alive!"

Bi Xiao jogged along on a cloud, her slender figure leaping through the pavilion window, holding a communication jade token and happily shouting.

Inside the pavilion, behind a screen, faint sounds of water could be heard.

Immortal Yun Xiao, who was bathing in the mists, rose upon hearing the sound. When she emerged from behind the screen, she was already clad in a thin blue robe, her dark, beautiful hair spontaneously dried, coiled, and styled into a phoenix tail shape, making her already fair and slender neck even more prominent.

She looked at Bi Xiao with a hint of helplessness and softly said:

"Don't speak like that. Since he dared to go, he must have made thorough calculations."

"Hehe, I was just worried for you, Sister."

Bi Xiao made a playful face, her girlish innocence preserving her Dao Heart as almost pure and flawless. She feared nothing in heaven or earth, only her eldest sister telling her to kneel.

A common ailment of the Jie Sect.

Bi Xiao quietly asked, "Sister, is brother-in-law really helping Grandmaster this time?"

"Hmm," Immortal Yun Xiao walked to her dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror, pondered for a moment, and replied, "It's hard to say. He never discussed these matters with me."

There was originally no dressing table in Yun Xiao's pavilion, but as a woman adorns herself for one who pleases her, a dressing table appeared.

Bi Xiao took out an immortal fruit from her sleeve, took a small bite, and sighed softly, "Now that brother-in-law has moved to the Heavenly Court, I can't go there to play anymore."

"You can certainly go to the Heavenly Court," Yun Xiao said, "but firstly, it's not appropriate for us to wander around during this great calamity. Secondly, going to the Heavenly Court would easily invite gossip from the Chan Sect and make things difficult for him."

"Sister, you have so many worries when you're in a Dao companion relationship."

Bi Xiao smiled, "If you ask me, the struggles between great sects are one thing, and private matters are another. You should just openly go to the Heavenly Court and let them say whatever they want."

"Why bother with them?"

Yun Xiao gently frowned, and Bi Xiao instantly quieted down, adding softly:

"I mean, others can't affect our Dao Heart."

"Go cultivate," Yun Xiao said softly.

"Alright," Bi Xiao shrugged, turned, floated out the window, patted her chest, and vanished in a flash.

Yun Xiao sat in front of the mirror, lost in thought for a moment. Soon, she let out a soft sigh, hung the copper coin she held in her hand on the edge of the bronze mirror, and her gentle gaze gained a touch of determination.

As long as they survived the great calamity.

They would then be free from all restraints.

Following the Spirit Mountain expedition, the Heavenly Court's prestige surged, officially elevating it above the great Saintly Sects.

Li Changshou led the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals back in triumph. The two Saints of Spirit Mountain did not intervene from beginning to end, and Spirit Mountain's disciples offered no resistance, allowing the Heavenly Court to capture the enforcers they had secretly cultivated for many years.

Three days later, the fierce beasts and demon beasts were executed before the Central Heavenly Gate.

The scene at the time was magnificent, with the Heavenly Court widely inviting powerful figures and great cultivators from the Primordial World to witness the event.

At noon that day, vast corpses and endless blood stained white clouds one after another, and continuous bloody rain fell over a desolate mountain in the Central Divine Continent.

This seemed to foreshadow the end of one Primordial era and the beginning of another.

The Era of the Three Realms.

Nine days later, Heavenly Soldiers garrisoned the western and southern regions of the Southern Continent. Heavenly Court immortals and gods appeared in various places, overturning the Western Sect's incense-based divine cults that had occupied the area.

Another month later, the Five Continents were officially unrestricted.

Each of the Heavenly Court's eight divisions dispatched a hundred thousand troops, joining forces with the Dragon Palace's million-strong aquatic army, and majestically marched into the Three Thousand Worlds, heading towards the incense-based divine kingdoms closest to the Five Continents.

This was an expedition destined to be protracted.

The Heavenly Court directly intervened in the Three Thousand Worlds' war, but under Li Changshou's meticulous control, the advancement speed would be managed to ensure similar losses for both the Immortal Alliance and the incense-based divine kingdoms.

At the same time, the Heavenly Court began to secretly increase its support for the Lintian Hall.

The details of the Lintian Hall matter were still known only to Li Changshou and a very small number of influential Heavenly Court ministers, such as Dongmu Gong.

Three months later, the Heavenly Court announced that it would dispatch troops to garrison the northern and southern borders of Western Ox Continent.

The Western Sect's influence over the Five Continents dropped to its lowest point since ancient times.

Six months later, good news came from the Three Thousand Worlds: the combined army of the Heavenly Court and the Dragon Palace destroyed an incense-based divine kingdom, establishing a firm foothold and their first directly affiliated Heavenly Court garrison in the Three Thousand Worlds.

However, the Three Thousand Worlds were too vast, and relying solely on Heavenly Court garrisons was not realistic at the current stage.

Li Changshou's strategy was to continuously develop the Lintian Hall's influence amidst a delicate balance, aiming to bring over 80% of the Great Thousand Worlds under Heavenly Court jurisdiction within three thousand years, promoting Heavenly Court rule of law, implementing separation of immortals and mortals, and preserving the path for mortals to seek immortality.

In Li Changshou's view, this wasn't even a grand plan.

It was simply acting in accordance with the trend.

But what frustrated Li Changshou was that he…

He had done so much and toiled for so long; although he hadn't repeatedly courted danger, his efforts certainly deserved some merit. Yet, the Way of Heaven simply wouldn't grant him the final portion of merit needed to solidify his Merit Golden Body.

And what he had worried about earlier had also begun to happen bit by bit.

Incense merit, merit salary from the Heavenly Court…

Were being restricted.

After completing the arrangement for the Three Thousand Worlds, over thirty more years passed.

Li Changshou naturally visited the Taiqing Palace. Of these thirty years, twenty were spent listening to instructions in the Taiqing Palace.

Spending over twenty years by his teacher's side, no one would believe that the two hadn't chatted or conspired together, and Teacher Taiqing seemed quite fond of talking.

But as for what they discussed, there was nothing substantial; the teacher spoke only about three hundred sentences in total, spread out, from the evolution of the Way of Heaven to the great calamity…

Anyway, those who know, know.

Upon returning from Taiqing Palace, Li Changshou entered seclusion for ten years, during which he continuously monitored the changes in his merit.

He repeatedly confirmed, holding a sliver of hope and continuously waiting, until today when he finally fully confirmed it.

The Merit Golden Body was perfectly stuck at 98%.

The Merit Golden Body signifies 'perfect completion of merit,' with no room for modification; it must reach the specific amount set by the Way of Heaven to undergo transformation.

On this day.

Li Changshou introspected, looking at the merit pool within his spiritual platform, which was almost full but never quite satisfied. He frowned, pondered, and finally let out a dejected sigh.

What could be done?

Could he really stand up and criticize the Way of Heaven, yelling that the Way of Heaven 'boss' wasn't human and had run off with a huge amount of merit and the Jade Disc of Creation?

And then go to the Western Sect to perform a debt transfer?

This…

It was now basically certain that the Dao Ancestor not granting him merit was not, as Senior Brother Xuandu had said, to prevent him from being bound by the Way of Heaven.

—Didn't the Dao Ancestor release the eighth and ninth wisps of Primordial Violet Qi earlier precisely to bind him?

The Dao Ancestor clearly did not want him to use the Merit Golden Body to establish a connection with the Way of Heaven and gain deeper insights into it.

This was probably also due to considerations for maintaining the stability of heaven and earth.

"Sigh."

In front of the elixir chamber, Li Changshou lay slumped in a rocking chair, his eyes glazed over and lips pale, radiating a sense of dejection.

He looked like an immortal fish that had been cooped up for thirty years, finally stepping out today to bask in the sun and avoid growing mold.

Ling'e, who was cultivating by the lake, blinked, then floated over on a cloud. She wore a grass-green short skirt, embroidered shoes resembling sandals, and her pretty face, free of makeup, was charming and spirited.

She jumped off the cloud, landed to the left of the rocking chair, leaned forward with her hands behind her back, observing Li Changshou's vacant expression up close.

It was a rare and unusual sight.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

Li Changshou weakly waved his hand and sighed, "This immortal life, even with longevity, isn't necessarily happy. There are many helpless things in the world, and one's wishes can never be perfectly fulfilled."

Ling'e blinked. Although she didn't want to bring it up proactively, she quietly asked:

"Did you… argue with Sister Yun Xiao?"

"It has nothing to do with her," Li Changshou raised his left hand and lightly patted Ling'e's head. "Don't ask too many questions. I haven't made you copy scriptures lately, so do you think you're already a mature little immortal?"

"Of course not!"

Ling'e wasn't sure why, but she felt inexplicably happy. She pulled a miniature rocking chair from her sleeve; with a puff of fragrant immortal energy, it transformed into its normal size and appeared beside Li Changshou.

Ling'e gleefully lay down, propped her chin with one hand, and winked at her senior brother.

"Senior Brother, if you're feeling down, just look at me, your junior sister."

"Your junior sister can help you cheer up, you know."

Li Changshou glanced at her, initially wanting to admire another famous scene from "Little Qiong Peak is Misty" in the backyard, but then he sighed dejectedly again, lying there and staring blankly at the sky.

Clouds unfurled and rolled, and mists permeated the air.

Not being able to condense the Merit Golden Body, which he had worried about for years, was indeed a blow.

Although the 'Primordial Violet Qi' now served as an alternative path to comprehend the Way of Heaven, he still felt vexed.

The Way of Heaven was playing dirty, and the Dao Ancestor was feigning ignorance. Who could he complain to about this?

What was the point of keeping all this merit within him?

Li Changshou's face showed deep thought. Beside him, Ling'e, who had been gritting her teeth and kicking her legs, about to ruthlessly unleash her 'Charming Ling'e Art,' couldn't help but compose herself, fearing she might disturb her Senior Brother's thoughts.

Soon, Li Changshou slapped his thigh, his eyes filled with determination.

So, no Merit Golden Body, huh?

Fine, I don't want it anymore!

Let's play it safe and say it's because his own virtue isn't complete, and thus he isn't worthy of possessing a Merit Golden Body, and it has nothing to do with the Way of Heaven or the Dao Ancestor.

Li Changshou turned to look at Ling'e and asked, "Between defensive artifacts and offensive artifacts, which type do you prefer?"

Ling'e blinked, quickly understanding.

A test question, common, just a small quiz.

"Escape-type artifacts!"

"Oh? Ambitious."

Li Changshou praised, then took out a silver shuttle from his sleeve. Golden light surged in his palm, and his expression was extremely solemn.

He wasn't skilled in artifact refining, but he was good at finding 'junk' piled in corners of the Doushuai Palace.

Although his current Dao realm was barely adequate and his divine abilities were mediocre, re-refining an artifact casually made by Laozi still presented a significant challenge.

However, balancing the Yin-Yang and Five Elements forces within it and adding some top-grade ancient treasures was not difficult…

Half a day later.

Five-colored light flowed over the silver shuttle, and the Yin-Yang twin fish at the bottom slowly rotated, causing Ling'e beside him to exclaim in constant wonder.

Held in hand, this treasure could greatly enhance the Five Elements Escape Technique;

Entering it, one could form their own Dao-realm domain and freely enter and exit the Chaotic Sea.

Subsequently, Li Changshou carved the character 'Shou' (longevity) on the side of the shuttle and handed the carving knife to Ling'e.

Ling'e's cheeks were flushed, she pursed her lips, and painstakingly wrote the character 'E' (as in Ling'e), almost on the verge of squealing with delight.

She quietly asked, "The previous question wasn't a test, was it?"

"Hmm, for all these years, I haven't made any proper treasure for your self-defense," Li Changshou took the shuttle, a faint divine light gleaming in his eyes.

If one isn't determined, one cannot stand firm!

One must dare to give up to gain!

Dazzling golden divine light surged in his palm. Li Changshou gritted his teeth and pushed forward, a massive amount of merit flowing into the silver shuttle.

Appear!

Post-Heaven Top-grade Merit Escape Treasure!

Golden light surged, and Little Qiong Peak was bathed in a layer of golden glow.

A moment later, Li Changshou gently exhaled, his eyes filled with peace. He placed the shuttle, now enveloped in precious light, into Ling'e's palm.

"Take it and use it."

Ling'e: ...

"Senior Brother, are you really giving it to me?"

"What's mine is yours, treasures are interchangeable between us," Li Changshou stretched, feeling much lighter in his heart, his Dao Heart suddenly enlightened.

Although 60% of his accumulated merit was spent, creating a top-grade merit spirit treasure and giving it to his junior sister was quite a fulfilling achievement.

A rare luxury.

One must be fair, right? He would use the remaining merit to refine a Cloud-Mist Small Robe later and go for a stroll on Three Immortals Island.

Suddenly!

RUMBLE!

The Heavenly Court's sky suddenly changed. A golden cloud covered the backyard of the Grand White Palace, from which hundreds of auspicious signs surged forth, quickly transforming into a golden pillar of light that slammed down, enveloping Li Changshou without question!

Merit!

A vast and pure amount of Way of Heaven merit!

At the same time, the Great Way within Li Changshou's heart trembled, condensing several large characters that stuck to his primordial spirit's face.

This time, definitely.