Chapter 667: Shou's Small Slip-Up

Although Li Changshou truly wanted to go to Sanxian Dao to relax, he was still a principled ordinary official and ultimately chose to return to Tian Ting first to report the previous events to His Majesty Yu Di.

He was now the spokesperson for Tian Ting, and every action of his would be interpreted as the will of Tian Ting. He had to communicate properly with the top leader.

Even if it was after the fact.

So, Li Changshou first returned to Taibai Palace to hide his true body, then set out with his paper effigy for a stroll. He encountered Yuanshi Quan Tong, who was also wandering and waiting for him, at a certain immortal mountain.

Li Changshou called out, "Yuanshuai."

Yu Di's incarnation replied, "Jiangjun."

The two incarnations then found a secluded spot.

They set up a small table, lit a grill, poured some Yaochi special brew, played some immortal realm tunes, sat on stools, stretched out their legs, and chatted about major affairs of the Three Realms while critiquing figures like Di Yi and Di Xin, as well as Long Wang and Yan Jun.

It was full of the essence of daily life.

"Changgeng, after spending these years in the mortal world, have you gained anything?"

Quan Tong was chewing on the ordinary meat that Li Changshou had brought back from the mortal world, savoring it with great enjoyment.

Li Changshou pulled a scroll from his sleeve—it was the "Mortal Talents Record" he had compiled earlier.

"Your Majesty, there are indeed many promising individuals among mortals. They lack only perspective. If we bring them to Tian Ting for training, they could achieve great things."

Li Changshou paused, considering his own safety, and offered a small praise to the Heavenly Way:

"The manifestation of the Heavenly Way requires at least one-third of the righteous god positions to be allocated to the human race, and most of this will be fulfilled through the current mortal officials and generals of the human race.

This can be seen as the Heavenly Way's care for the human race.

After all, having more immortals and gods in Tian Ting with human origins will ultimately provide more support for our human race."

Quan Tong glanced at it and nodded slowly, smiling. "You've worked hard, Changgeng. You've worked hard."

But clearly, Quan Tong's attention wasn't on that.

He put the scroll away carefully, chatted idly for a bit, and since Li Changshou didn't bring it up first, he took the initiative to steer the conversation to the battle at Chentang Pass, asking about the causes.

Li Changshou sighed lightly. "This matter... it's hard to explain in a few words."

"Then take your time," Quan Tong laughed. "Today, we're just eating and drinking here. You don't have another engagement, do you?

Hmm? My dear Changgeng?"

Li Changshou: ...

"Of course not. Reporting on these years' gains to Your Majesty is of utmost importance, but since Your Majesty is more concerned about Lingzhu Zi, this humble god will start from the beginning."

Thereupon, Li Changshou began recounting from when Lingzhu Zi first arrived in Tian Ting, trying to be as detailed as possible.

Quan Tong listened with great interest, occasionally asking questions related to Tian Ting.

Evidently, Yu Di had already used the Heavenly Way to deduce the fate of Lingzhu Zi's reincarnation and knew that this would be another great general for Tian Ting in the future, so he was quite attentive.

When Li Changshou mentioned that he had a premonition earlier that the sages of the Western Cult would definitely seek revenge through this matter...

"They still aren't convinced?"

Quan Tong twisted his mouth and immediately scolded,

"Just look at all the dirty deeds the Western side has done in secret—Daoism could wipe them out entirely and it wouldn't be unjust. How dare they talk about revenge!"

Li Changshou laughed. "Your Majesty, do you have some inside information about the Western side that others don't know?"

"The sainthood of the Western Cult has issues from the start."

Quan Tong shook his head, clearly unwilling to say more, and added, "Changgeng, next time something like this happens, just use Tian Ting's authority and borrow the power of the Heavenly Way to suppress it."

Li Changshou sighed.

"Yang Jian previously pointed out his identity as a Tian Ting war general, but that sage showed no intention of stopping.

Your Majesty, although Tian Ting has risen and made significant progress in its own strength and influence, it still lacks the means to deter such sages.

In the eyes of the Western Cult sages, discarding face is like removing shackles, allowing them to act without restraint."

"Act without restraint?"

Quan Tong shook his head and said calmly, "Changgeng, you're mistaken in thinking that way. Aside from Teacher Taiqing, the other five sages must all gauge the intent of the Teacher."

Li Changshou nodded, not daring to comment further on that.

After all, involving the Dao Ancestor required utmost caution.

"Changgeng, continue with the story of Lingzhu Zi. What happened next?"

"Ah," Li Changshou sighed, building up the emotion first, then slowly explained how Yin Shi had been afflicted with baleful energy and how Lingzhu Zi had taken it upon himself.

Even Yu Di's incarnation nearly teared up listening to it.

"This child has a kind heart... Ah... Has the baleful energy been resolved?"

"It's not fully resolved yet, but with the talisman given by my teacher, stabilizing himself shouldn't be a problem," Li Changshou said. "Your Majesty, rest assured, I'll keep a close eye on this for the next few years and have a series of arrangements ready for him.

I definitely won't let anything happen to him.

However, Your Majesty, there's something I need to report to you in advance."

"What is it?"

"It's about the Long Clan."

"Oh?"

Yu Di's incarnation suddenly perked up with interest.

After chatting with Yu Di for two days and three nights, and resting at Xiaoqiong Peak for a few days, Li Changshou let his paper effigy be active in various places.

Half a month later, Li Changshou returned the Taiji Tu and Qiankun Chi to the image of his teacher Taiqing, then slipped out of Tian Ting again, heading toward Sanxian Dao to fulfill his prior agreement.

Based on the feedback from his teacher, the two sages of the Western Cult had been bedridden—or rather, unable to move freely—for the past few years.

But Li Changshou remained cautious, hiding whenever possible and concealing himself as he sneaked into the great array of Sanxian Dao, like a thief.

Incidentally, on this trip, Li Changshou deliberately took a detour through Zhongtian Gate to check on Bo Jian's situation.

The Fengshen Platform had been mostly completed by Bo Jian's massive hands.

It was a square high platform that looked quite ordinary, as if made from piled-up boulders and timber, but in reality, each level was meticulously designed to connect the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity through the three books.

After years of hard labor, Bo Jian had endured reasonable punishment for his previous arrogance.

Li Changshou decided to call it good and talked with Bo Jian, saying that to speed up the final stages, he must send a team of heavenly soldiers to help with the finishing touches.

Bo Jian felt quite guilty about this and apologized repeatedly to Li Changshou, admitting he had been lazy and negligent.

Li Changshou comforted Bo Jian a few times and, on behalf of Tian Ting, awarded him a "Fengshen Medal," which moved Bo Jian deeply, almost to tears.

As a veteran of the human race, Li Changshou didn't want to deceive him too much and generously let go of the past events.

After all, he wasn't some evil god.

Upon arriving at Sanxian Dao, he met the immortal beauty.

Li Changshou pretended to be tired and leaned directly against Yunxiao's side. Yunxiao was a bit reserved but still took the initiative to hold him and gently massage his shoulders.

A slight cool aura circulated, making Li Changshou feel quite comfortable.

In front of Yunxiao, Li Changshou didn't want to discuss the grand trends of the world, and Yunxiao didn't ask about them either.

The two talked about romance and the future, enjoying a relaxed and pleasant time together.

But Yunxiao still reminded Li Changshou a few times, telling him not to directly confront sages, as one who hasn't achieved sainthood can't win against them.

Li Changshou humbly accepted the fairy's criticisms.

They played the qin, admired the moon, painted, and drank wine, staying in the pavilion guarded by the jade statue without feeling bored at all.

But Li Changshou couldn't delay too long; he still had a full set of plans that needed to be implemented step by step.

At this time, Li Changshou's gaze was fixed on the northwest direction in the central region of Nanshanbuzhou.

The strength of the Zhou state had already surpassed that of the eight hundred vassals, but most of the time, they deliberately hid their power.

Having learned from past lessons, they didn't dare show off at all.

During the era of Ji Chang's father, Ji Li, the Zhou state had begun to rise. On one hand, they increased tributes to the Shang state and gained the trust of the then Shang king, Wen Ding, becoming the "big brother" among the western vassals.

Ji Li continuously expanded the Zhou territory, sometimes annexing small states with whom they had grudges, and most of the time subjugating the "barbarians" in the northwest.

Wen Ding, who was Di Xin's grandfather, was very pleased with Ji Li and rewarded him richly, but then tricked Ji Li into coming to Dayin City and imprisoned him, ultimately starving him to death.

After that, the Zhou state lived in fear. Ji Chang didn't even dare to succeed to the throne immediately; he returned most of the rewards from the Shang king and tightly concealed their strength, huddling together without daring to move.

This was also the main reason why the two schools of Chan and Jie overlooked the Zhou state when searching for a new king in various places.

In terms of caution—cough, stability—Li Changshou quite admired the Zhou state's decision-makers, but that was about it.

Whether the southern continent's royal power was with the Shang or the Zhou made no difference to Li Changshou, and he had no special feelings involved. All his scheming and arrangements were just to save people during the great calamity.

As for his original intention.

While at Sanxian Dao, Li Changshou was also paying attention to the changes in the southern continent's situation. The most significant recent event was Di Xin summoning the various vassals to Zhaoge City.

This was likely Di Xin accelerating his reforms, weakening the vassals' real power and strengthening the Shang state's control over them.

Over the past nine years, Di Xin had been focused on these matters.

In the first two years, he rehabilitated the taboo of the historical minister Yi Yin and promoted the slave Fu Yue from the Wu Ding era as a prelude to his subsequent actions.

Once the time was ripe, Di Xin began appointing talented slaves, especially in the military, promoting many junior officers.

Although this caused dissatisfaction among the military elite, Di Xin handled it skillfully, preventing any incidents.

Royal power, ministers, classes, vassals...

Di Xin had been walking a tightrope among these forces over the years, carving out a path and establishing absolute control over the Shang state. Besides the old ministers he relied on, he now had a group of capable officials under him.

This gave him the ambition to make a move against the various vassals.

After a quick calculation, Li Changshou knew that this gathering of vassals in Zhaoge City was probably the turning point where the Shang state and the vassals began to fall out.

Most likely, Di Xin wanted to take control of the rights to wage wars himself.

The various vassals, along with the suppressed old forces of the Shang state, would likely resonate with this and form a significant resistance, attacking Di Xin from other angles.

For example, Di Xin's recent policy of replacing human sacrifices in rituals with cattle and sheep, and then rewarding the military with the sacrificed animals.

In the eyes of many elders, this was taboo, a sign of national decline.

How could rituals to heaven and earth not use living people? The Shang state wasn't short on slaves.

Yu Di and Houtu: ...

They felt vaguely offended by these people.

The reason Li Changshou was observing Xi Bo Hou Ji Chang was because of another minor figure in the Fengshen story—Leizhen Zi.

If he remembered correctly, Ji Chang should encounter an infant's cries on the road to Zhaoge City, pick up Leizhen Zi, and take him as his hundredth adopted son.

Then, Yunzhong Zi, passing by, would take Leizhen Zi as his disciple.

The necessary arrangements had to be made; at the very least, he needed to get involved, go through the process, and create a sense of ritual.

But Li Changshou found this quite troublesome.

He didn't know Leizhen Zi's exact origins or his parents, and he couldn't have his paper effigy watch Yunzhong Zi, or it would be hard to explain if discovered.

So, he could only secretly monitor Ji Chang's convoy to find an opportunity to intervene.

But to Li Changshou's surprise...

Leizhen Zi was directly brought by Yunzhong Zi and placed on Ji Chang's path, using thunder and lightning to attract their attention.

After Ji Chang picked up the infant, named him, and adopted him as his son, Yunzhong Zi quickly appeared, revealed his identity, took Leizhen Zi back to the mountains for upbringing, and said that Leizhen Zi would later come down to assist Ji Chang.

Li Changshou's plan ended up being for nothing.

Yunzhong Zi's move to forge karma and enhance fortune was indeed clever.

Yunzhong Zi also seemed to be guarding against anyone trying to snatch his disciple, protecting Leizhen Zi the whole time and giving Li Changshou no chance at all.

Something was off.

Deep underground, Li Changshou's paper effigy stared at Yunzhong Zi's retreating figure and quickly fell into thought.

Why did Chan Jiao take the initiative to approach Ji Chang?

Was it because they discovered the so-called heavenly mandate on Zhou, or did they see through Zhou's hidden strength and decide to bet on them?

After careful consideration, Li Changshou analyzed that this matter had no impact on him and then used earth escape to leave.

Since he couldn't arrange for Leizhen Zi, it left a slight hidden risk in his thousand-year plan. He couldn't possibly try to steal those two immortal apricots.

But it didn't matter; he had many backup plans and would have opportunities to contact Leizhen Zi later. He could make up for the arrangements then, and the problem shouldn't be too big.

That Yunzhong Zi was really cunning.

Li Changshou chuckled lightly, bid farewell to Yunxiao with his true body, and hurried back to Tian Ting for a stable retreat, focusing most of his attention on the soon-to-be-born Xiao Nezha.

Thus, three months later.

"Li Changgeng!"

At the edge of the Chaos Sea, Maitreya clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger as he stared at the thunder curtain ahead.

Once again, he had been rejected by the heavens.

And all of this stemmed from the charges Tian Ting had listed against him!

What nonsense about Kunpeng being his second primordial spirit—why would the Heavenly Way believe that?!

Maitreya took a deep breath, and the Chaos energy around him surged toward him, only to be blocked by his immortal power.

Aside from innate great powers like Kong Xuan, who could decompose Chaos energy for their own use, or figures like Kunpeng with forbidden heritage to build spiritual energy arrays,

Any being in the Chaos Sea was constantly depleting their own spiritual power without any way to replenish it.

Maitreya was now in this awkward situation.

Especially after recently discovering a secret realm in the Chaos Sea and fighting several ancient demon generals, although he gained benefits, the consumption was substantial.

Maitreya used to enjoy wandering the Chaos Sea and bullying those ancient beings who had escaped and grown weak, precisely because he could return to the primordial world at any time to restore his spiritual energy.

But now, he had lost that huge advantage.

Everything was because of that Human Teachings disciple!

That abusive wielder of divine authority!

A few stray thoughts arose in Maitreya's dao heart, but he quickly smoothed them away, snorted coldly, and turned to head back to his hiding place in the Chaos Sea.

"Maitreya."

A somewhat aged voice suddenly echoed in his mind, making Maitreya pause and alertly scan his surroundings, ready to escape at any moment.

"Maitreya."

The voice came again, this time seeming right beside his ear.

Maitreya whirled around and saw a gray-robed old daoist standing quietly behind him. The old daoist's face was blurred, and his dao rhythm felt thick and viscous, making Maitreya's dao heart tremble inexplicably.

Almost instantly, Maitreya's whole body tensed, his heartstrings nearly snapping.

He had felt this sensation before and had a clear memory in his dao—it was inescapable.

Nothing could evade its calculations, no spirit could break free of its bindings.

Its name!

Heaven...

"You, do you wish to return to this realm?"