At that time, the mage was intoxicated, his inner fire ignited and his mind clouded by desire. Kong Xuan of the Phoenix clan entered through the side door, dressed in a flowing robe of colorful clouds, with exquisite makeup that set him apart from both immortals and mortals. He approached the mage from behind and embraced him with both arms.
The mage, striving to maintain a clear and upright mind, addressed him as a Dao companion and, aware of his own unusual state, urged him to step away for the moment. Thus, he spoke:
"Dao friend, your arrival is untimely."
Kong Xuan's red lips parted in a soft murmur, his voice charming and fragrant:
"My arrival is precisely on time."
With gentle words of persuasion, he used his slender hand to part the clouds, accompanied by tender affection that lingered endlessly. In the end, this stirred the mage's inner fire to blaze wildly, disrupting his Dao heart and igniting thoughts of a lifelong bond. They exchanged vows of eternal companionship, then disrobed and embraced, creating a tale worthy of immortals and gods.
Indeed, desire is the origin of spirits, and spirits are driven by desire.
The mage had once been enveloped in Dao nature, transforming into a sacred being, but now he had merged with the Dao. Thus, Tai Qing intentionally guided him back to human emotions and nature, leading to this very situation.
Afterward, Kong Xuan rose, draping a thin robe over himself, his posture exquisitely beautiful and beyond compare. He said:
"Since you are now my husband, you should take Kong as your surname."
The mage choked back sobs, clutching the covers and sighing deeply. With his immortal power, he drew Kong Xuan back, preventing him from leaving, and they remained in the warm chamber for three full days.
At that time, in the hall of Tai Bai Xing Jun in the Heavenly Court, Shou Huanglong was restless and uneasy, pondering the scheme he had orchestrated, fearing that the mage might retaliate in kind and outmaneuver his teacher.
"Ahahaha!
This great mage, who spends his days scheming against the disciples of Renjiao Xianzong, has now been outwitted by a disciple from Renjiao Xianzong himself. He's ended up forming a Dao couple with Kong Xuan.
Hahahaha!"
In the corner of Tai Bai Hall, Quan Dong held two skewers of spirit beast meat in his left hand and a jug of jade-brewed wine in his right, drinking leisurely and laughing with unrestrained joy.
In the Heavenly Court's weaker moments, it was guarded by Lao Jun and the great mage. Although the mage held no official divine position, his prestige among the veteran ministers was high, and the Jade Emperor was quite grateful to him.
Seeing the great mage finally find his destined partner filled Quan Dong with genuine delight. However, he added:
"This Kong Xuan seems to be caught in the great tribulation as well."
Quan Dong furrowed his brow, biting into his skewer as he calculated with his fingers for a while. Realizing the matter was more complicated than expected, he asked, "Has Tai Qing Shixiong given any instructions?"
Li Changshou chuckled softly...
Now, with heavenly secrets obscured by tribulation fate, divination methods are useless. Your Majesty, the Jade Emperor, could you restrain yourself a bit and respect the rules of the great tribulation? Directly divining the contents of the Fengshen Tribulation like this, and even uncovering that Kong Xuan might clash with Western Teachings...
Truly... impressive!
"The teacher should have arrangements in place," Li Changshou said with a smile. "Based on my deductions, Kong Xuan entered the tribulation because he followed my suggestion years ago to protect the Shang kingdom, using the mystical bird as its destiny to revitalize the Phoenix clan's fortunes.
Thus, the Phoenix clan owes a small karmic debt to the human race.
But this karma isn't significant and won't endanger them. With Shixiong watching over and the teacher supporting from behind, they should pass through the tribulation easily."
"Indeed," Quan Dong laughed. "Why don't you mention yourself?"
"I will certainly strive to prioritize duty over personal matters, safeguarding this Fengshen stage for the Heavenly Court."
The Jade Emperor's incarnation smiled contentedly and continued discussing the matter of Kong Xuan and the great mage.
As they chatted, Li Changshou's thoughts turned to Wen Jing Daoist.
Now that Kong Xuan had succeeded, the obstacles for Wen Jing had suddenly grown much larger. But pursuing a close bond with his Shixiong was never an easy task to begin with.
The origins of the Hongmong fierce beasts had become the greatest hindrance in this affair.
Suddenly, it felt like all the schemes in the Honghuang world ultimately boiled down to classic tales of emotion and ethics.
Quan Dong laughed and asked, "Changgeng, why are you lost in thought?"
"I'm thinking about how Shixiong will discipline me later," Li Changshou said, pulling a wry face. "I set a trap for him, got him drunk, and used such dishonorable methods...
I'm probably in for it."
"Speaking of which, why is that wine of yours so extraordinary? Was there really only one jar?"
"Well," Li Changshou smiled calmly, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a potted plant stripped of its leaves, placing it before Quan Dong, "Your Majesty, forgive me—I used the leaves of the spirit root Xiangsi Tree you granted me to brew the wine."
"This..."
Quan Dong couldn't help but laugh and cry at once. "Brewing wine from the Xiangsi Tree? No wonder the great mage couldn't resist—it's incredibly potent. I'm convinced."
Then, in a low voice, he asked, "Do you have any more?"
Li Changshou: ...
So, Your Majesty, your real purpose in coming here was for the wine?
Thus, Li Changshou produced a small jar of the same wine from his sleeve and handed it over with a serious expression, admonishing:
"Your Majesty, this wine is for great powers only. A single cup per session is enough."
"Ah, I, the majestic Heavenly Emperor, would never drink such wine!"
Quan Dong declared righteously, waving his hand grandly as he swiftly pocketed the jar and tucked it away, adding seriously, "I'm just concerned that if this spreads in the Heavenly Court, we won't know how to handle it. So, I'll study it in advance to avoid any chaos later."
Li Changshou bowed formally. "Your Majesty, you labor so for this."
"Ah, it's nothing, nothing."
The ruler and minister exchanged smiles, then began discussing the grand struggles across the three thousand worlds. Once their conversation wound down, Quan Dong took his leave.
Li Changshou put away the leafless Xiangsi Tree and returned to Xiaoqiong Peak. He lay on a rocking chair for a while, gently fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, his eyes reflecting deep thought.
He wasn't truly worried that the great mage would punish him—this matter was already settled for him.
There were still many major affairs in the world awaiting his attention.
He could clearly sense that the will of the great tribulation was sharpening its blade, with tribulation fate beginning to surge through the heavens and earth.
What he had sensed through the Hongmong Purple Qi aligned closely with his previous guesses—the Heavenly Dao was somewhat abnormal, or more precisely, it harbored a certain obsession, a near-fanatical pursuit of universal stability.
The remnant will of Pangu God that his Shizu mentioned might suddenly emerge at any time.
Should he erase this will, or choose another way to handle it?
Li Changshou remained undecided on this, as it was an unforeseen "black swan" event outside his plans.
The potential impacts were unpredictable, and the consequences unforeseeable, requiring him to prepare for improvisation.
Yet, improvisation was his greatest taboo.
What a hassle.
Glancing at Ling E, who was quietly meditating in the secret chamber with golden lotus flowers slowly blooming around her, Li Changshou's mood finally lightened a bit.
This girl was about to undergo her Golden Immortal Tribulation, and she had managed to do so before Youqin Xuanya.
When the time came for her tribulation, he would invite plenty of guests to observe and celebrate, making it a lively event for her.
Closing his eyes, he focused his thoughts, allowing his spirit to merge with the paper Dao human realm.
Li Changshou scanned the world once, then piloted a paper effigy resembling a middle-aged man toward the immortal mountains along the East Sea coast.
Assuming that during his previous visit to Shengmu Palace, the Holy Mother's words were half-true and half-false, with some intent to test him and some to cover for him, he still needed to go to Huaguoshan and see for himself.
In his thousand-year plan, the stone monkey played a significant role, so he had to approach and observe it firsthand to feel at ease.
He didn't know if it was the Heavenly Dao's careful arrangement or the Holy Mother Niangniang's intention, but the newly emerged immortal mountain in the East Sea had already been occupied by the demon clan.
In fact, it had become the 'headquarters' of the Eastern Continent's demon clan.
The last time Li Changshou had seen it from afar, various human immortal sects were still vying for it, but the ultimate winner turned out to be the demon clan.
Influenced by the great tribulation's fate, the immortal sects of Central Divine Continent were embroiled in fierce conflicts, dragging even the sects of Eastern Continent into bloody battles.
This allowed the demon clan, which should have been weak in East Victory Divine Continent, to straighten their backs and secure their territory.
These demon clans were the group that Li Changshou had divided off during the cleansing of the Northern Continent's demon clan—the 'benevolent' demons, mainly from neutral clans like the Qingqiu and Citie, who never provoked humans.
From a distance, Li Changshou saw demon energy swirling around Huaguoshan, but most of it was pure and upright, with little sign of karmic stains.
The demon clan's experts had mostly been eliminated, so Li Changshou's paper effigy slipped in quietly, wandering through the various demon kings' caves and conducting a thorough inspection.
There was some minor corruption and vice, but nothing truly wicked or treacherous.
The demon clan was no longer capable of causing major trouble.
Huaguoshan was picturesque, with clear mountain springs, streams, and cascading waterfalls everywhere. Besides the main peak, there were over a dozen surrounding peaks, rising and falling in majestic layers.
Li Changshou's immortal sense swept over the area, and on the first pass, he didn't detect the stone that mended the heavens. But upon closer examination, he found a natural formation behind the main peak, sensing the Dao rhythm of the Holy Mother Niangniang.
No wonder the demon clan treated this place as sacred—it was due to that Dao rhythm.
He calmly entered the formation and, without much effort, discovered the radiant, seven-colored Mending Heaven Spirit Stone at the edge of a mountain stream cliff.
This was the predecessor of the Monkey King.
The spirit stone was about three meters high, half embedded in the cliff wall, shaped like an oval egg. A faint spiritual thought was gestating within it, with only the most basic fluctuations.
What a pure origin of true spirit.
Li Changshou raised an eyebrow. He had thought the stone monkey was likely the reincarnation of some great power, but it turned out to be a primordial being, born directly from the stone.
As he stepped forward slowly, images began to emerge in his mind with each step.
These images came from his imagination and from the countless times he had watched the stories in his past life.
Subduing demon kings, seeking immortality, born of heaven and earth, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
With a faint smile on his lips, Li Changshou instinctively raised his left hand to touch the edge of the spirit stone.
At that moment, a gray shadow materialized in front of the stone monkey, condensing into the vague figure of an old Daoist. The figure stared at Li Changshou with cold eyes.
Li Changshou snapped out of his daze, quickly withdrawing his hand. His paper effigy bowed to the old Daoist and said with a smile:
"Heavenly Dao Lord, please don't blame me. I was merely excited upon seeing it and have no ill intentions."
The old Daoist nodded slowly, his figure dissipating with the wind, leaving no trace of Dao rhythm or words.
But his meaning was clear...
Li Changshou could look, but not touch.
'The Heavenly Dao is truly strict.'
Li Changshou glanced at the stone monkey a few more times, then turned and drifted away.
There was no helping it—the Heavenly Dao was now guarding against him like a thief.
Leaving the natural formation, Li Changshou had no intention of departing. Instead, he took out a set of jade talismans and began recording the demon clan's forces and the various demon kings in the area.
This would serve as a backup for the Heavenly Court, to prevent any demon unrest during the Fengshen Tribulation.
He wandered the mountains until the moon and stars faded, and just as he was about to leave, his sharp ears caught a snippet of an interesting conversation carried by the passively maintained Wind Language Spell...
"Xiao Lan, are you really leaving? The clan leader has already advised you so earnestly—why won't you listen?"
"This place, whether it's here or our clan territory, I just can't stay anymore.
That lord was right that day—when I pleaded for the demon clan, I gained nothing in return. Whether it's the demons who survived the great tribulation in the Northern Continent or those like us who luckily escaped Heavenly Court scrutiny, they all see me as a thorn in their side.
Why bother?
I'm exhausted, and even within the clan, the words have chilled my heart."
Li Changshou followed the sound and soon spotted two female demon figures halfway up Huaguoshan.
It was Xiao Lan of the Qingqiu clan, speaking with a more voluptuous Qingqiu fox demon.
Xiao Lan was leaving?
Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, already suspecting something. His paper effigy dove into the ground and secretly tracked her after she bid farewell to the fox demon.
Xiao Lan left the sacred demon immortal mountain of the East Sea and flew on clouds toward the border between Southern Continent and East Victory Divine Continent.
The Honghuang world was vast, but places where demons could live freely were few and far between. The border between South Jambudvipa and East Victory was a decent option.
Xiao Lan seemed visibly downcast, her cloud flight slow, with occasional moments of distraction.
After flying five or six thousand li, she suddenly stopped, a short sword appearing in her right hand and two rings in her left. Her long hair whipped behind her as vigilance filled her eyes.
"Who's there?"
The fox demon shouted lightly, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger. "I've already left the sacred mountain—do you still intend to pursue me?"
Suddenly, cackling laughter echoed from the night sky. Several clusters of green flames flickered under the stars, and seven or eight shadowy figures surrounded the fox demon.
Without a word, they unleashed their divine abilities and hurled treasures. Dozens of streams of light shot toward her, showing no mercy.
"You!"
Xiao Lan exclaimed softly, soaring into the sky to dodge most of the attacks. She turned and scattered pink petals, using her short sword to deflect an incoming silver shuttle.
It was clear that while Xiao Lan had reached the Golden Immortal realm, she lacked combat experience, responding instinctively but somewhat chaotically.
Her attackers weren't major powers—just two Golden Immortal realm demon immortals leading several late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm ones.
Li Changshou watched the scene unfold...
But he had no intention of intervening.
This had nothing to do with him; he was just observing casually. His karma with Xiao Lan had ended when she spoke up for parts of the demon clan.
The fight was quite intense.
Back on Xiaoqiong Peak, Li Changshou summoned a pot of tea, fanning himself leisurely with his palm leaf fan and sipping from the teapot's spout from time to time, quite at ease.
He wasn't just watching for entertainment; he was studying and analyzing how the Heavenly Dao intervened, conducting a small research.
After dozens of rounds, Xiao Lan was wounded on her shoulder and waist, while her opponents showed no damage.
At this point, it seemed intentional—the demon experts besieging her revealed a few openings, but Xiao Lan missed them perfectly.
Tears welled in her eyes as she cried, "I've done nothing to wrong the demon clan—why won't you let me go?"
"Hmph!"
A raspy voice scolded, "Traitor who sells out your own and bows to outsiders! Today, this poor Daoist will eradicate the rebel for the demon clan!"
Li Changshou: ...
How ironic.
Clearly, these demon immortals had survived thanks to Xiao Lan's pleas during the Heavenly Court's follow-up purges, yet now they turned their weapons on her.
Why? Because when she made those pleas, she had already separated herself from the group. Those demons, too afraid to face the Heavenly Court directly, now took pride in killing Xiao Lan.
A twisted Dao heart.
Li Changshou observed quietly, his paper effigy pulling out another jade talisman to make some notes.
The 'fierce battle' escalated, with Xiao Lan's injuries worsening, but her opponents still couldn't land a decisive blow.
As they fought on, Xiao Lan seized an opening and broke through their encirclement, fleeing swiftly toward the southwest.
The demon experts chased after her, growing anxious, though it didn't seem like an act.
Li Changshou's paper effigy followed closely underground, watching as Xiao Lan burst into the border of South Jambudvipa, crossing the Heavenly Court's heavenly punishment barrier.
—The thunder showed no reaction.
But when the pursuing demons reached the South Jambudvipa border, the night sky lit up with bolts of lightning. Hundreds of heavenly thunderbolts struck down, reducing the demon immortals to ashes.
Xiao Lan didn't dare stop, pressing on with her injuries.
Finally, when she could hold on no longer, she plummeted outside a small city in the northeast of South Jambudvipa, crashing into a hilly area and startling the small demons hiding there.
Li Changshou's paper effigy watched from the shadows, his heart filled with quiet emotion.
The Heavenly Dao's arrangements were so precise, yet they respected the 'stories that should happen.'
But who decreed that such stories must occur?
In the hills, two young women cautiously approached the fox demon, conferring briefly before carrying her back to their cave dwelling to treat her wounds.
One was a pheasant spirit who had taken human form, the other a jade pipa spirit—seemingly a burial object from a tomb, carrying a faint aura of chilling yin.
Besides them, the cave housed a few small demons, barely able to take form.
Li Changshou waited patiently until Xiao Lan awoke from her coma. She stared blankly for a moment, then sat up and thanked the demons here.
The jade pipa spirit asked, "Senior, who are you, where do you come from, and where are you going?"
"I..."
Xiao Lan pursed her lips and gave a bitter smile. "I have no name left, no origins or roots, and I don't know where to go next."
The two demon girls, recognizing Xiao Lan's 'remarkable abilities,' wanted a patron in this demon-scarce South Jambudvipa. They urged her to stay and cultivate together.
Xiao Lan didn't insist otherwise and settled there.
Li Changshou searched the hills around their hideout and soon found a stone stele. Standing before it, he pondered for a while before his paper effigy sank into the earth and vanished.
In the cave, the great and small demons celebrated joyfully, the crisp sound of the pipa accompanying the pheasant spirit's graceful dance.
Outside the cave, starlight scattered down, and layers of mist rose, causing mortals to instinctively avoid the area.
On the stele, two ancient human characters from antiquity were faintly visible, roughly recognizable as meaning "Xuanyuan."
The Xuanyuan Imperial Tomb.
"Nine-tailed fox demon, nine-headed chicken spirit, jade stone pipa..."
Li Changshou murmured to himself for a moment, a bold idea flashing in his mind, but he quickly suppressed and shattered it.
He couldn't meddle with the Heavenly Dao's pieces.
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