Chapter 674: Mu Gong's Worries, Daji Will Appear

Senior Brother, why have you... set up another memorial tablet?

Could it be that Senior Brother has another master out there who met the same fate?

Outside the thatched hut, Ling E was sneaking around, holding a small bell and peeking into the room. When she saw the wooden tablet inscribed with the name "Sui Ren," she suddenly understood.

Suddenly, Li Changshou's voice came: "Come in. What are you doing out there?"

Ling E pursed her lips, glanced down at her outfit, lightly tapped her toes, and floated into the hut.

"Senior Brother, what is this about?"

"This is the memorial tablet for Emperor Sui Ren. Come and pay your respects."

Li Changshou smiled slightly at Ling E and sighed softly: "A great sage of the human race, always prioritizing righteousness, and for this senior's passing, I should bear half the responsibility."

Ling E was puzzled and let the small bell hover beside her. She smoothed her skirt, stepped forward to kowtow, and honestly bowed three times.

"Senior Brother, why did Senior Sui Ren..."

"I was the one who invited him to act."

Li Changshou glanced at the Chaos Clock and continued: "Half a day ago, at the Purple Heaven Palace outside the heavens, the Three Sovereigns of Fire Cloud Cave and Emperor Xuan Yuan joined forces to seal the private desires of the Heavenly Way. Senior Sui Ren exhausted his last strength."

"Ah?"

With a series of dings, the small bell emitted a faint glow, and its spirit transformed into a tiny figure the size of a thumb, standing on top of the bell, retorting: "The Heavenly Way can have private desires? That's nonsense!"

Li Changshou said seriously: "That's what the Dao Ancestor said."

"Uh," the bell spirit stroked its chin and said earnestly, "If that's the case, it might be believable. Being sealed by the human emperors... Did they use the power of human fire?"

"You know about the power of human fire, Senior?"

The bell spirit replied: "Of course. It's the foundation of the human race's rise. Back then, the human race endured numerous genocidal calamities, struggling for thousands of years. The final wills of countless humans condensed into the Great Dao of Human Fire, eventually suppressing the demon race and forcing the Heavenly Way to acknowledge it. But the specifics of the Great Dao of Human Fire, I don't know. After all, it's the highest secret of the human race..."

Whoosh—

At Li Changshou's fingertip, a small flame flickered gently, appearing ordinary yet seemingly endless with vitality.

Human race's human fire.

The bell spirit couldn't help but raise a hand to its forehead, at a loss for words.

Li Changshou's eyes showed a hint of loss as he whispered: "Senior Sui Ren passed this fire to me."

Ling E said softly: "But Senior Brother, this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself..."

"It's nothing."

Li Changshou withdrew the human fire, placed it beside his primordial spirit, and nurtured it with his primordial spirit's power, saying calmly: "Don't you know what kind of person your Senior Brother is? I have a heart of stone; I won't take these things to heart."

As he spoke, Li Changshou suddenly began to undo his clothes, pulling off his belt and unfastening his robe.

Ling E's hand trembled, her face flushing red.

Senior Brother is... oh, and in front of Sister Bell...

Could it be that Senior Brother is upset and wants some comfort? As his junior sister, I should offer him support and encouragement!

What... what should I do?

Should I wait for Senior Brother to come over, or undo mine first...

This is so embarrassing. We were supposed to bow to heaven and earth first, then wait for the wedding night...

Ah! It's his shoulder!

Puff! Boom!

Ling E's watery eyes turned into swirling patterns, white smoke rising from her forehead, and her ears flushed with layers of red.

The small bell slipped away on the spot, its spirit muttering something about "young people these days."

"Here."

Li Changshou removed a piece of broken jade from his arm, waved it gently in front of Ling E, and placed it in her palm.

"This is the Jade of Fire Virtue, carrying a bit of Senior Sui Ren's merit. It can evade ordinary heavenly machinations. You've been adapting for so long; how are you still like this?"

Ling E blinked, seeing that Senior Brother had already straightened his robe. She was a bit stunned, clutched the broken jade hesitantly, and hesitated as if wanting to speak but holding back.

After Senior Brother flew away on his cloud, Ling E unconsciously chased to the door, gripping the broken jade in her hand and lightly bumping her smooth forehead against the doorframe...

If it were Sister Yun Xiao, she might have directly set up an immortal barrier!

Hiss!

In the pill room, underground chamber.

Li Changshou sat back at his desk, meticulously reviewing every step of his recent actions.

He released his Empty Bright Dao Heart.

Li Changshou sighed wearily, sinking into his chair, a few tears tracing his eyes before he evaporated them with immortal power.

Developing the Sage Moment divine ability was indeed the right choice.

Without the Empty Bright Dao Heart, it would be hard to outwit the Dao Ancestor, that ancient immortal who's lived for who knows how long—I'm still too inexperienced.

He sat dazed for half an hour, like a whale surfacing for air after lurking underwater, and felt much more relaxed.

But now isn't the time to let emotions overflow.

His gaze returned to the Investiture of the Gods calamity. Li Changshou unrolled a scroll in his mind and began to think and adjust carefully.

In this game of chess, moves and counter-moves keep coming.

The Heavenly Way's restrictions should be effective, and my final threat in the Purple Heaven Palace likely met the Dao Ancestor's expectations.

After all the calculations, it boils down to one thing: my own strength.

I need the power to personally flip the table at critical moments, not just rely on the underlying rules of the Heavenly Way for protection.

Strength should be my greatest trump card.

But the paths to ascension in the Great Desolation have been sealed by the Dao Ancestor himself. To become a saint requires Hong Meng Purple Qi, and that limits a saint's power, turning them into a cornerstone of the Heavenly Way.

Moreover, most great powers in the Great Desolation have taken the path of beheading the three corpses, making true transcendence impossible.

The pursuit of the true self through cultivation, beheading the good and evil selves, is just a shortcut to evade oneself.

The method of beheading the three corpses is meant to better fuse with Hong Meng Purple Qi, and only the teacher can achieve the return of the three corpses.

What a pity for the Grand Supreme.

Of course, achieving sainthood through pure power is even less possible—it would drain half the spiritual energy of the Great Desolation, and the Dao Ancestor would surely fight me to the death. Besides, it's incredibly difficult; even Pangu God fought countless Chaos gods and demons for eons to reach that realm.

I have to find another way, trying to get infinitely close to that realm and pursue momentary explosive power.

Human fire, the fire of human dao.

This has great uses, but it takes too long to accumulate and requires extensive preparation. It directly consumes the source power of living beings, though it doesn't affect mortals' lifespans, overuse would impact their true spirits.

The three great sources of the Great Desolation: the Great Dao, true spirits, and qi.

The famous Great Desolation scholar, Senior Lang, explained this in detail in his works left inside Kun Peng's body, which has long been a key reference for my enlightenment.

After this heavenly rebellion event, the major plot of the Investiture of the Gods calamity remains unchanged, so I can alter more minor details.

As for Di Xin, Lady Nü Wa has already given her verdict.

If I want to clear Di Xin's name with a poem, I'd first have to undermine Lady Nü Wa's prestige, which would be a case of losing the forest for the trees.

The Holy Mother is still the creator of the human race. Although she's bound by the Heavenly Way, she's helped me a lot openly and secretly.

One mustn't be ungrateful; I won't drag the Holy Mother into my subsequent schemes.

Hmm, the Holy Mother is probably selecting female demons to go to Chao Ge City and mess with Di Xin's mind right now.

Speaking of female demons, I can't help but think of the fox girl Xiao Lan; and speaking of Xiao Lan, I wonder how Jiang Shang is doing—he's the one who bragged about having thirty-two concubines.

It couldn't be, right?

Surely no one really thinks Xiao Lan wouldn't recognize Jiang Shang as the reincarnation of Master Qi Yuan?

Should I stop this karmic entanglement and keep Jiang Shang from going to Chao Ge City to become an... official...

"Li Changgeng! Give me an explanation!"

A sharp voice came from outside Xiao Qiong Peak. Li Changshou shook his head and smiled, standing up.

The complainant has arrived.

Outside the Xiao Qiong Peak array, Heng E stood in the air, dressed in a light gown, her anger flaring as she shouted without restraint...

Half of the Heavenly Court heard it!

The heavenly soldiers and generals guarding the Tai Bai Palace exchanged glances, instantly imagining a dramatic love-hate saga among the heavenly immortals!

The passing gods perked up their ears, afraid to miss any details!

Fortunately, the Xiao Qiong Peak array opened quickly, and Heng E flashed inside, leaving behind...

Endless legends.

Ling E, lost in thought by the lake, twitched her mouth and couldn't help but cover her forehead, pulling out a transmission jade talisman.

In front of the pill room, as the array dispersed, Li Changshou had just appeared when Heng E was already in front of him, her beautiful eyes filled with grief and indignation.

"You deceived me!"

The air above Xiao Qiong Peak fell silent, and the spirit beasts that later died from knowing too much perked up their ears.

Crack—a sound came from the side as the bell spirit cracked open some seeds.

Li Changshou and Heng E turned to look, and the bell spirit weakly merged back into the Chaos Clock, only showing a pair of sparkling eyes.

Li Changshou said: "Star Monarch, when have I ever deceived you?"

"You've forgotten what you said before?"

"Not at all," Li Changshou sighed. "As I expected, when you woke up, you should have been in a cave dwelling. The ones who brought you back were three emperors. Because Senior Xuan Yuan's household has too many women, he wouldn't dare take you back for care, fearing the three thousand and one.

The other two emperors have impeccable reputations, so they probably guarded you together until you awoke. Am I correct?"

Heng E was stunned: "Are you saying..."

Li Changshou nodded slowly.

Senior Lang's records mentioned that he was injured by Pangu God during the creation of the heavens because he was too weak. After Pangu's death, Senior Lang sought a place to cultivate.

It wasn't until I controlled the Kun Peng ark that I realized it wasn't seeking cultivation—it was like how Senior Lang 'seized' Kun Peng's body.

Senior Lang hid in the body of a great power, naturally taking over that identity, and refined the original owner's primordial spirit into his second one.

The information afterward is clear.

He could directly interfere with Lady Nü Wa's judgment, approach the Sun Goddess Xi He during the demon court era, and when he fell in ancient times, his second primordial spirit was likely wiped out too.

But that second primordial spirit might have left remnants of the original owner's soul, which reincarnated.

Lady Nü Wa's mention of an 'empty shell,' the opportunity for reincarnation, and the seal of a wisp of Hong Meng Purple Qi.

Heng E trembled: "It's Shen Nong..."

"It's Fu Xi! Fu Xi! How couldn't you guess that!"

The bell spirit appeared again, blurting it out, then covered its mouth and glanced fearfully at the sky.

Heng E couldn't help but cover her mouth and nose, picturing the elder in white robes, yet unable to recall any memories of that face or form.

But deep in her dao heart, the missing gap seemed to be filling.

The puzzle... is complete...

"I even slapped him!"

Li Changshou blinked involuntarily.

Heng E sobbed: "I even slapped him."

"It's fine, it's fine," Li Changshou hurried to say. "You two have no connection; what's been erased is erased.

Star Monarch, you should let this go. I have a portrait of that senior here for you to mourn."

"The Heavenly Way won't..."

"This won't, don't worry."

Li Changshou took a scroll from his sleeve and unrolled it. On it was a painting of a groundhog scurrying panicked across an endless plain.

The Heavenly Way showed no reaction, but Heng E couldn't help but chuckle, carefully examining the vividly detailed large rat.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly.

His painting skills weren't enough to capture even a fraction of Senior Lang's roguish spirit.

So, Heng E took the painting, thanked him repeatedly, and turned to leave on her cloud.

The bell spirit watched Heng E's back and murmured softly: "Why isn't the Heavenly Way taboo working?"

"She is different," Li Changshou explained.

"The most beautiful woman in the three realms gets such treatment?" The bell spirit smirked. "This Dao Ancestor, pfft!"

Rumble—

Dark clouds rolled in the sky, and Xiao Qiong Peak's weather changed as lightning struck the Chaos Clock, making it sway. The bell spirit rolled its eyes, and the Chaos Clock emitted a faint dao rhyme, with its upper, middle, and lower rings spinning!

Divine ability: Retreat for an Instant.

The dark clouds swirled for a while before dissipating on their own.

Li Changshou smiled, about to turn back to his chamber to refine his plans, when he saw Mu Gong hurrying over on a cloud from outside the Tai Bai Palace, looking anxious.

He sent a paper daoist to greet him at the Tai Bai Palace, thinking it might be the Jade Emperor summoning him, but Mu Gong shouted as soon as he arrived: "It's over! It's over, over, over!

Changgeng, save me! What should I do?"

Li Changshou was puzzled and said quickly: "Mu Gong, don't panic. Tell me slowly."

"This, oh dear!"

Mu Gong stamped his feet and paced in front of Li Changshou, finally explaining the situation haltingly.

When Senior Sui Ren acted and the human heroic spirits rushed to the Purple Heaven Palace, a heavenly decree fell on the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall. The Jade Emperor was already in battle armor, and the heavenly soldiers were enveloped in heavenly power.

They were just waiting for the Jade Emperor's order to appear outside the Purple Heaven Palace and block the human heroic spirits.

Heavenly power released out of nowhere is the main form of heavenly tribulations—like thunder, heavenly fire, annihilating winds, soul-melting water, and so on.

But when it enhances heavenly soldiers, it greatly boosts their strength.

If the heavenly soldiers had descended, the human heroic spirits' chances of victory would be unknown.

Li Changshou had thought it was the Jade Emperor who resisted the heavenly decree, but it turned out Mu Gong was involved.

Mu Gong: ...

"I don't regret it. I've lived in the Heavenly Court for so many years, and being called Mu Gong every day is already hundreds of times better than my old brothers.

It's just, I'm a bit scared."

Mu Gong sighed: "I'm not some wise sage of the human race, and now I've directly opposed the Heavenly Way. I'm afraid my end will be bleak.

Changgeng, what do you think? I..."

"Mu Gong, don't worry," Li Changshou said with a smile. "I was right there on the front lines back then, and nothing happened to me."

Mu Gong bitter-smiled: "You're different, Changgeng. You have the protection of the Tai Qing Saint. What about me?"

"Mu Gong, you make a good point; there is an issue."

Li Changshou pondered and said slowly: "Don't worry for now and just do your duties in the Heavenly Court. If nothing happens in three years, then it should be fine.

If there is a problem, I'll report it to His Majesty, and the Heavenly Court won't mistreat a meritorious old minister like you."

"Sigh!"

Mu Gong lowered his head and sighed repeatedly: "I enjoyed half a lifetime of fame in the East Hua, only to see it vanish in an instant.

Forget it, please take care of my affairs, Changgeng. If something happens to me, arrange for my wives!"

Li Changshou nodded solemnly, then pulled Mu Gong to drink tea for a while until his emotions stabilized, and sent him back to rest.

In truth, it's not a big issue.

If Mu Gong is retaliated against by the Heavenly Way, doesn't that mean the Heavenly Way still has private desires?

Then, the ones rebelling against heaven wouldn't just be the human race, but also the Heavenly Court's Jade Emperor.

Li Changshou breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his mind to the paper daoist in the Southern Continent. But before he could extend his immortal sense, another messenger arrived at the Tai Bai Palace.

It was the Yao Chi Immortal.

At the same time, in the Holy Mother Palace.

Saint Nü Wa lounged lazily on her throne, a banner floating before her projecting images of graceful demon women sliding past her fingertips.

This banner is called the Summoning Demon Banner, not for sale, an exclusive treasure.

The teacher truly...

Gave me such a script so many years in advance, just a few lines, everything I have to figure out myself, and wait for the right time to know what to do.

I expressed appropriate anger in the Southern Jambu Continent, and now I have to send a few female demons to seduce the Shang monarch.

If this gets out, won't people say I'm petty?

It's clearly the teacher scheming behind the scenes.

What a pity for Sui Ren; he missed the Heavenly Emperor position... but this time, he's freed.

Hmm, this one is good—a nine-tailed fox clan member named Xiao Lan, currently cultivating in the Xuan Yuan Tomb, blessed with heavenly fate?

She has potential; she could keep Di Xin from attending court.